


The Island Expedition

by ReindeerUnicornEleventy3



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/F, Romance, Stranded, Survival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-07-02 11:43:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 26,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15795813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReindeerUnicornEleventy3/pseuds/ReindeerUnicornEleventy3





	1. A Sky Full of Stars

Roughly manicured hands picked up a sharp stone from the cave floor. The fingers, thin and delicate, maneuvered the stone into position to be used as a writing utensil. The empty hand pressed gently against the cool rock, fingers splayed, while the other hand dragged the stone against the wall. A thin, white line resulted.   
Waverly stood back and counted the lines with tired eyes. Eight days. Eight days she had been marooned on this tropical island, living in this cave. As the sun set, the cave filled with orange light, illuminating the tick marks on the wall and ending yet another lonely day. Tears glinted in her eyes. Her hand subtly let the writing stone drop to the floor. She had to make a fire now.   
Her hands worked the materials competently; dry wood, flaky bark, cotton stuffing from the seats of the plane she had crash landed in. She worked with the urgency that is necessary when in a survival situation but at the same time she had the cool concentration and ginger touch of an artist, and the curiosity and focus of a scientist. Soon, she had the beginnings of a fire. The stuffing caught first, then the bark. Her steady and assured hands folded dead leaves and carefully stuck them beneath the teepee of wood. Within a good half hour, she finally had a warm fire that would last through the night.   
Relieved, but mostly satisfied with her ability, Waverly made her way to the mouth of the cave. Along the way she grabbed a navy bomber jacket, three times too big for her, from a pile of other clothing and wrapped it around her shoulders. It had belonged to the pilot, Jackson Hull. Being a tropical island, the nights were relatively warm. However this particular night she felt a chill and she couldn’t tell if it was an odd change in temperature or the stress of fighting death for the past eight days. As she sat at the cave entrance in her tank top and shorts with a dead man’s jacket around her and the fire she created glowing behind her, she unwillingly replayed the events of eight days ago.   
The plane ride east from Cape Town had been uneventful. Herself, the biologist, the photographer, and the other archaeologist were on one plane while the doctor, the botanist, the curator, and the herpetologist were on the other. They had stopped to refuel on an island off Indonesia before heading south. That had passed uneventfully too. And then 5 miles off the coast of their intended island, a storm hit. They struggled to get over land and once they did, hurricane-force winds blew them straight down into the trees. All she remembered after that was hitting the seat in front of her hard and blacking out. When she awoke, everyone but her was dead. She didn’t know what happened to the other plane. She never found it. Maybe it made it to Pongo Island after all. She counted the names of her travel companions on her fingers: Hull, Jones, Paxton, Rivas, Talt, Haught, Maxwell, Nunez, Kerrington. Nine. She held up her hands in front of her watery eyes and considered them sadly. Out of ten people, she was possibly, probably, the only survivor. She counted through their names again, saying a prayer for each, and she stopped on the thumb of her right hand. Haught. She would have liked more time with her. She thought they really hit it off back in Africa. Her forehead wrinkled in an attempt to fight back the oncoming tears. She was tired, physically tired and sore, from crying.   
“Okay, Waverly. Start thinking positively.” She whispered to herself.   
She took a deep breath and looked up at the stars. There were so many. Hundreds. Thousands. Millions? She stared in awe at the milky way, that purply cosmic ribbon; that glittery rift through the middle of the sky. She had seen it recently before in Kenya, on a practice expedition with the team. They had finished for the day and reached camp as the sun was setting. Everyone ate and most turned into their tents, exhausted from the day’s work and looking forward to the scheduled morning helicopter pick up that would take them back to Nairobi. But a few, including Waverly and the team physician, Dr. Nicole Haught, stayed up and watched the night sky. Waverly sat in between Nicole and Max Kerrington, the team herpetologist. They took turns pointing at constellations they knew.   
“ I think I see Apus.” Nicole said.   
“Where?” Waverly asked eagerly, eyes scanning the glittery sky.   
Nicole leaned in, placing her hand on Waverly’s back. “It’s small but if you look toward 12 o’clock and then move down to that big star and then….” Waverly was distracted by the heat pouring from Nicole’s hand. It was the kind of heat that would last even after Nicole removed her hand. The kind of heat that Waverly would dream about feeling again.   
Suddenly, a clap of thunder pulled Waverly from her reverie and back into her lonely cave reality. Another storm passing out on the water. She wished she could feel the radiating warmth of Nicole’s hand on her back again. It was late and she was tired. She took a last look at the sky full of stars before going back in her cave. She added some kindling to the fire, undressed, and moved to her makeshift bed, a pile of clothes she scavenged from the suitcases of her dead teammates. Falling onto the pile, she quickly fell into a deep sleep.


	2. The Beach

The calls of numerous wild island birds awoke Waverly at dawn. Lying still, she identified the only one she knew, the little red one with white wing tips. She didn’t know its official name but she had seen it fluttering around the tree tops on her daily island excursions. Maybe it didn’t have a name, maybe it was undiscovered. Maybe she could name it. She decided to think on this later and stiffly rolled out of her clothing pile bed. 

She slipped on her shorts from yesterday, but grabbed a new tank top from a different pile of clothing. The “clean” pile. Then she walked to the back of the cave. This is where she kept her most important salvaged belongings. In a duffle bag were various canned goods, protein bars, and two 16 oz canisters of water. Nearby, a suitcase held some drowned walkie talkies, two good flashlights, a field guide on lizards that Max had brought, and one of the two first aid kits that weren’t lost in the crash. The other first aid kit resided in a tactical backpack. Waverly brought this backpack with her on daily trips into the wilderness. In it, she also had a canteen, rain jacket, and hunting knife. She felt fortunate that she at least had been stranded with these items. She grabbed some kind of protein bar from the duffle bag, shouldered her backpack and headed to the cave entrance. The sun’s morning rays filtered in, soft and orange, brightening the smoldering ashes of last night’s fire. Waverly stopped to put on her hiking boots - she was fortunate for these too - and then headed out for the day. 

She had decided yesterday that she would try to explore a new part of the island. She had figured out east and west from watching the sun rise and set and, therefore, had some kind of idea which direction things were in. North from the cave was the crash site. The ocean waves were audible from this location and following them on her first day she had found a barren beach. Walking south and west on her third and fourth days she had trekked through thick jungle, finding those little red birds as well as a couple of banana trees which she readily harvested. Other than that, she had discovered little else. Today, she decided she would walk east along the North Beach and see where the coastline took her. Hopefully, she’ll find more fresh fruit out there. And a stream. The rain water she collected in empty bean cans had sustained her up to this point, and she still had those two 16 oz canisters of water as a last resort, but a reliable water source would be nice. 

After awhile of picking her way through dense vegetation, Waverly stumbled upon a relatively open glade. It’s floor was covered in dark green moss and smatterings of tiny, orange mushrooms. On it’s far end, palm branches - some with fronds and some without - stood strangely, sticking out of the moist earth all in a row. Waverly walked by the branches with downcast eyes. They weren’t new to her, she had put them there. The marked the four teammates that had been on the plane with her. 

Soon, she was at the crash site. The plane’s propeller was crushed against a tree. It’s tail hung tangled in vines high above Waverly’s head. It’s wings were bent and broken and there was a gaping hole in the fuselage. Waverly carefully climbed onto the fractured carcass of angry, twisted steel, making her way to up to the wide fuselage entrance. She didn’t know what she expected to find in there. She had already looted anything salvageable and being there just made her start reliving the terrifying ordeal all over again. But she wishfully thought that maybe, something would be different; that she would see signs of life other than her own, signs of the other expedition crew. She was disappointed. The plane was dead and undisturbed. She quickly climbed down. Moving around the nose of the plane, she continued on her way to the shore. 

Not long after, Waverly broke out of the jungle onto a white, sandy beach. The salty wind whipped her hair about her face and she squinted in the sunlight. The beach looked just like it had the first time she saw it. Empty. Waverly trudged down to the shoreline. Taking off her boots, she let the tide flow over her bare feet. The water was clear and cold. She looked out toward the horizon. No sight of ships or planes or even seabirds for that matter. She continued walking in the frothy surf, heading east with boots in tow. When the sun was high overhead, she decided to take a break. She climbed out of sea spray range and took a seat cross-legged in the sand. While contemplating the inherent, simultaneous beauty and harshness of this place, she unwrapped a protein bar and took a bite. She studied the wrapper as she chewed. Cookies and Cream. Not too bad, but it tasted more like cardboard.

Suddenly, she felt a burning sensation beneath her right thigh. She jumped up. It felt as if she had been stung. In the sand where she had been sitting was a white, tube shaped shell. She brushed it away with annoyance. Putting on her socks and boots, she continued on her way. This time she stuck to the tree line, bored with the empty beach, and wanting to stay out of the heat. Within minutes of reaching the shade, she felt sick to her stomach. This abrupt onset unnerved her. Maybe she was dehydrated. She got out her canteen and took a drink. She continued walking with her canteen, taking a sip every other minute. But she felt sicker with every step. The heat suddenly became oppressive and suffocating. She exhaled slowly, feeling faint. The stinging sensation on the back of her thigh returned. She touched it gingerly with her fingertips and winced with pain. It felt swollen. She decided to turn back, wanting to get back to the cool rock of her cave. But she had so far to go. The faint feeling intensified. What looked like static veiled her vision. Her chest felt tight; she couldn’t get enough air in her lungs. She moved back to the ocean. Maybe it would cool her down. She stumbled to the surf and collapsed in the water. Painfully, she rolled onto her back, gasping for air. The incoming surf that encompassed her felt good. After some minutes, her breath became more relaxed, her body temperature dropped. But then, just as her vision was clearing, vertigo hit and her whole world began spinning. A second later she blacked out, the sound of the ocean in her ears.  
When she regained consciousness, she was still in the surf but someone was there with her. 

“Waverly! Waverly Earp!” A voice shouted. It was thin and watery. It must have been whoever was there in the water, but in her strange state of consciousness she couldn’t tell. 

“Stay with me, Waverly.” the voice spoke again. 

Something sharp pricked her arm. In what seemed like seconds, but could have been minutes, her vision slowly began returning. A shadowy figure loomed over her. She tried to get away from it but she was too weak. 

“It’s okay. You are going to be okay.” The voice assured her. But she didn’t trust it. She had to get away. 

Waverly dug her hands into the sand beneath her in an attempt to push herself up. It worked, but quickly weakness and pain returned. Falling back into the sand, she tried to focus her eyes on the shadowy being that was before her. For an instant, her eyes cooperated, and before passing out again, she stared into the bright face and alert eyes of Dr. Nicole Haught.


	3. Basalt and Quartz

Waverly rested on the steel floor of an overturned plane, battered seats hanging securely above her. The plane looked just like the one she had crashed in but she knew it wasn’t the same. Someone had put a blanket beneath her and had bandaged the wound on her thigh with gauze and tape. Dr. Nicole Haught. She rubbed her aching temples as she tried to recollect all that had happened. Just then, Nicole came in through the upside down plane door, hauling a bunch of bananas behind her. She carefully dropped the fruit and wiped her sweaty palms on her white t-shirt. 

“You’re awake.” Nicole said with a breathless smile. “How do you feel?” 

“Alright.” Waverly replied, rubbing her forehead. “Just a little weak.” Waverly slowly came to a seated position but quickly winced as the flexion of her hamstring caused needles of pain to radiate from her wound. 

“Careful,” Nicole said, kneeling and placing a comforting hand on Waverly’s bare shoulder. That invigorating heat Waverly had felt that night under the stars in Kenya returned.  
“ That sting may hurt for awhile.” 

“Wh-what stung me?” Waverly stammered. 

“A cone snail.” Nicole said as she unzipped the tactical waist pack she was wearing and pulled out a small bottle of pills. “Here, take these.” She opened the bottle and sprinkled two tiny, round, red pills into Waverly’s delicate, open hand.

“They will help with the inflammation.” She passed Waverly a nearby canteen. 

Waverly quickly took the pills. “I thought cone snails only lived in deep water.” 

“They usually do,” replied Nicole, “but the beaches here are full of them.” Nicole stood up and walked to the cockpit of the plane where she pulled a stethoscope from the pilot’s compartment. 

She put the ear tips into her ears and walked back over, wiping the bell of the scope on her green shorts. “Do you mind if I check your heartbeat?” 

“Sure.” Waverly said, worried it would be beating fast - but not because of lingering cone snail venom. 

“Thanks.” Nicole kneeled behind her. 

“I guess I’m lucky to be alive.” Waverly said, the stress of her environmental situation coming back to her. 

“Very. You were in shock when I found you at the beach.” Nicole said. 

Waverly felt the bell of the scope on her upper back, resting on her dingy tank top. Nicole listened intently. Satisfied with how things sounded back there, she scooted around to face Waverly. 

“I administered antivenom immediately after I saw the sting.” She said as she placed the bell of the scope gently on Waverly’s chest. Nicole avoided looking at Waverly directly, her brown eyes cast down at the floor so she could carry out her duty without the distraction of that beautiful face watching her. 

“Great! Your heart sounds fine.” Nicole said after a moment. 

“Thank you.” Waverly said with sincerity. “Really. Thank you for saving my life.” 

“Of course.” Nicole smiled, nearly blushing. “I mean, I am the team doctor.” She procured a penlight from her waist pack. “ I’m going to check your vision now.” 

She quickly blasted light into Waverly’s eyes. “Dilation looks normal. Now follow my finger.” Nicole held up her index finger and slowly moved it first from left to right, and then from the ceiling to the floor. Waverly’s dark eyes followed flawlessly. 

“Tracking is great. Now, just one more test. Hold out your hands palms up, please.” 

Waverly did so. Without warning, Nicole gently pinched the flesh of each of Waverly’s thumb tips. 

“Did you feel that?” She asked. 

Waverly nodded. She felt it alright - like electricity. 

“ Great. Now touch all your fingertips to your thumb. Like this.” Nicole demonstrated. Waverly copied. 

“Excellent. Do you have numbness or anything in your extremities?” 

“No, I feel fine.” Waverly said. 

“Awesome. Check up complete then.” She grinned. “Are you hungry?” 

“Starving.” Waverly replied. 

“Well, as you can see, we have bananas.” Nicole joked as she passed by the bananas with a wave of the hand. 

Waverly chuckled. It felt good to laugh. Nicole approached a duffle bag sitting on the pilot’s seat and began rummaging through it. “I also have some green beans, some canned chicken, and a package of twizzlers.” Nicole displayed each item as she spoke. 

“Twizzlers?” Waverly asked, surprised. 

“Yeah. Talt had quite the sweet tooth.” Nicole said, with some sadness. 

“I’ll take the chicken.” Waverly said, trying not to linger on the subject of dead teammates. Nicole handed her the can. 

“Thanks.” Waverly popped the top and started picking at the chicken with her fingers. “This tastes so much better than protein bars, I have to tell you.” 

Nicole laughed, then grabbed a banana off the stalk she had dragged in, and went to join Waverly. Waverly made room for her on the blanket. Nicole sat cross-legged and began to peel the fruit. 

“So, where did your plane crash?” She asked. 

“On the north side of the island.” Waverly answered, popping a piece of juicy chicken into her mouth. It tasted so good. 

“Is that where you’re staying?” Nicole asked. 

Waverly shook her head as she swallowed her bite and then replied, “ No. The plane isn’t entirely grounded. So I salvaged what I could and found a cave on the west side. Where on the island are we right now?”

“We are off to the Northeast. There isn’t much out here.” Nicole answered.

“I haven’t found much either. What island do you think we are on?” Waverly took another bite of chicken. 

“I’m not sure. I don’t think this is Pongo though.” Nicole answered. 

“I don’t think so either. Pongo is supposed to have a volcano. I haven’t seen any point higher than a tree here. ” Waverly remarked. 

“Yeah, a vantage point higher than sea level would be nice.” Nicole commented.

“We could at least get a better idea of what the island looked like.” Waverly said, finishing her can of chicken. “ Maybe we are on Tavu or Bolai? All my maps were lost, but I vaguely remember those being part of the archipelago.” 

“Yeah maybe. All I know is that you can’t see any other islands from the east coast.” 

“There’s nothing on the north coast or west coast either.” Waverly added. 

“ I haven’t been to the south coast though.” Nicole said. 

“Me either. Do you think we would be able to see Pongo from out there? ” Waverly turned to Nicole, excited at the prospect. 

“Doubtful. But you never know.” 

They sat in silence for a moment. “ I think we should go out there.” Waverly said eventually. 

“We probably have a few hours of daylight left.” Nicole shrugged, peering out a side window. 

The two women packed quickly. Waverly added some canned goods and fruit to her pack. Nicole restocked her waist bag with some medical supplies, strapped a machete to her hip, and shouldered a backpack containing water flasks, a tarp, and some coiled rope. Two of the ten lightweight tents were still intact and stored in a corner of the plane. Nicole and Waverly each took one, strapping them securely to the bottom of their backpacks. They left the plane in a matter of minutes. 

Stepping out into the humid jungle, they began their late afternoon journey South. Waverly led and Nicole followed closely behind. Not far from the plane, Waverly came across a familiar scene. In a semi-cleared glade, four broken palm branches stuck out of the ground, all in the row. Waverly stopped.  
“ Jones, Paxton, Rivas, Talt.” Waverly whispered.  
“Yup.” Nicole said sullenly, starting at the graves of her dead companions. 

They continued on. The jungle seemed thicker the further South they traveled. At times, Nicole had to take the lead with her machete and slash a path through the tangled vegetation. They walked for hours without seeing anything much different than what they had seen on their treks over the past week and a half. But it felt different because on this trek, they weren’t wandering the wilderness alone. 

Then, as light began to fade, the terrain became studded with rocks. Waverly stopped and examined them. The stones were large, black, and jagged, with pale streaks running haphazardly across their surfaces. These lines glittered when Waverly waved her flashlight over them. 

“This is basalt.” Waverly said. “With veins of quartz.” 

“They’re the first rocks I’ve seen here.” Nicole said, taking a closer look at them. 

“Me too.” Waverly said. She scanned the darkening forest floor with her light. Suddenly, something flitted quickly across the beam, causing Waverly to flinch and let out a small scream. Nicole was at her side in an instant. 

“What is it? What did you see?” Nicole asked, anxiously. 

“I don’t know! Something small just ran across my light!” Waverly said quietly, her eyes and flashlight desperately searching the area. 

“There it is again!” Waverly whirled around letting the light beam catch the tail end of a tiny, black lizard. Nicole had her own flashlight out at this point. 

“Look! They are all over the place!” Nicole said, watching a dozen or so lizards scurry across the rugged ground. “They have pale stripes. Like the rocks!”

“Fascinating.” Waverly said, stunned. 

When the last tiny lizard scurried into hiding, the explorers realized that they could hear the roaring waves of the ocean. They hiked a little further and then broke out onto the south coast. The beach was a ghostly white. Large basalt formations, some taller than themselves, dotted the coastline. Other than the boulders, and a large gathering of clouds over the horizon, they saw nothing else. They set up their tents on the edge of the jungle, Waverly checking carefully for cone snails before building hers. By the time they had a fire going, the clouds on the horizon were now overhead and threatening of rain. Exhausted from the day’s work, they sat just outside their tents, each sipping water from a canteen. The fire blazed between them. 

“It was a good day.” Nicole said, smiling. 

“It was.” Waverly agreed.

“Those lizards are interesting.” Nicole said. 

“ I know. And I liked that I got to drop some geology knowledge.” Waverly smiled. Nicole laughed. “It was impressive. Where did you study?” 

“ I got my degree in geology at UC Berkeley. I thought about getting a second degree in paleogeology but went with archaeology at Arizona State instead.” 

“So different old stuff?” Nicole teased. 

“I guess you could say that.” Waverly laughed. “What about you? Where did you study medicine?” 

“ Pittsburgh for med school. Baylor for residency. And NYU for fellowship.” Nicole replied. 

“Nice.” Waverly smiled. “I’ve been to Pittsburgh once. I was passing through with my sister on our way to Lake Erie and we stopped at this place for lunch that had, hands down, the best slice of pizza I’ve ever tasted. Like, it was the best pizza I have eaten in my whole twenty-four years of existence. And this was in Pittsburgh of all places!” 

“Was this place called Valentina’s?” Nicole laughed. 

Waverly’s eyes grew with excitement, “Oh my gosh yes! It was Valentina’s!” 

“My family’s from Pittsburgh. I’ve been to that place a thousand times. It is the best.” Nicole snickered. 

“The best.” Waverly confirmed. “Oh, it’s so good.”

Thunder suddenly erupted overhead. 

“Looks like we will get some rain tonight.” Nicole said, looking over head. 

“Yeah.” Waverly commented, also looking up at the dark sky, wishing there were stars instead of clouds. 

They lingered in the firelight for a second. 

“Well, I think I’m going to turn in.” Nicole said. 

“Me too.” Said Waverly. 

“ Well, good night.” Nicole smiled. 

“ Good night.” 

Once she zipped up her tent, the rain started almost immediately. Laying on her back, Waverly quickly fell into a peaceful sleep. The night went on uneventfully. But at some hour in the early morning, Waverly awoke to a strange croaking sound. 

She unzipped her tent slowly, allowing in a cool, night breeze and hopefully nothing else. The croaking sounded again. She grabbed her flashlight and pointed it into the darkness. Laying out in the sand, was a large iguana. Waverly noticed that it wasn’t an ordinary green iguana. Instead, this reptile was solid black, with thin rivers of white cascading down it’s side, and large, copper eyes. Waverly admired it. She wiggled out of her tent and crept closer. The big lizard turned it’s head lethargically toward Waverly. It croaked loudly and then scuttled away toward the water. Waverly followed it with her light until it disappeared into the darkness. In the path of her beam she saw something dark sticking out of the sand. She trudged over to it, the night wind whipping her hair. It was a flat piece of basalt. Holding it up in front of her, she saw it was in a shape of a perfect circle. Odd, she thought. Shimmery quartz punctured it here and there. She looked out over the water. Dark waves crashed on white sand. The sky had cleared now and the moon was high over the waves. The stars were out. Suddenly, she started screaming. 

“Nicole!” She yelled.  
“Nicole! Nicole!” 

Nicole came sprinting out of her tent. 

“What? What’s wrong?” Nicole exclaimed, truly frightened when she approached Waverly. 

“Look!” Waverly exclaimed, pointing out toward the ocean. 

Sweeping her eyes over the area, Nicole saw it too and gasped. 

Misty and wet in the moonlight, as if it had just risen out of the sea was the jungled mass and tall volcano of Pongo Island.


	4. Lucky

“It’s like it came out of nowhere. ” Waverly said aghast, staring at the monumental island wallowing in the dark waves. 

“I know. I swear I didn’t see it when we first got on the beach.” Nicole said, starting at the island too. 

“This is strange.” Waverly sounded concerned. She remembered the stone she had found. “And look. I found this.” 

Waverly held up the smooth circle of basalt. Nicole’s flashlight made the quartz veins glimmer. 

“Where?” Nicole asked. 

“Just out here on the sand.” 

“What is it?” Nicole asked.

“I’m not sure.” Waverly pondered as she flipped the stone over in her hands. “But stones don’t grow in perfect circles. This was crafted.” 

“By who?” Nicole asked. 

“I’m not sure.” Waverly eyed the tree line - for what, she wasn’t sure. She felt uneasy all of a sudden and stood closer to Nicole. 

“Wasn’t Nunez wanting something like this?” Nicole asked, taking the stone from Waverly to examine it more thoroughly. 

“Well, yes and no. Nunez specifically wanted relief sculptures and wood carvings; a way to link Pongo to Indonesia. The artifacts Jones and I were to find and date, if we found any at all, would, possibly, act as evidence that ancient Indonesians visited these islands at one time or vice versa. But I am sure that Nunez wouldn’t mind having this stone in his curated collection at the Met.” Waverly took the stone back and stared at it again. It was sort of mesmerizing. 

“But this particular stone doesn’t really tell us anything because it’s basalt, which is pretty much found everywhere in the South Pacific due to the volcanic activity.” Nicole said, nonchalantly. 

Waverly paused and gave her an impish smile. 

“I took a geology lab in college.” Nicole said, shyly. 

“How far out do you think the island is from here.” Waverly asked. 

Nicole considered the moonlit ocean. “It’s hard to tell in the this light.” 

“I think it’s close enough to get to though.” Waverly said. 

The women stood thoughtfully in the dark, listening to the sea churn and the wind blow. Then almost at the same time they looked at it other and said: “We could build a raft.” 

They hustled back to their camp. Despite having only slept a few hours, they felt energized. Waverly added kindling to the dying fire so they would have good light to work by. Nicole found a couple of fallen palms, knocked down by some previous storm, and hauled them one at a time to the camp. She took her machete and whacked at the palm trunks. 

“This isn’t quite the right tool for this, but it will have to work.” Nicole said and continued hacking the trunks in two. 

Waverly and her hunting knife fetched some thick vines from the nearby jungle. In addition to the coiled rope Nicole had brought, the vines would make good lashings. In a matter of hours, just as dawn was approaching, Waverly and Nicole had a raft. Nicole stood on it, testing its sturdiness, as Waverly paced around it, double checking lashings. 

“ It looks good.” Nicole said, stamping the palm wood. 

“ It’s a beaut.” Waverly smiled. 

“ Nice work, Earp.” Nicole jumped off, giving Waverly a high five as she did so. 

“You too, Haught.” Waverly received the high five. A blast of electricity. 

The raft, four palms wide, was large enough to accommodate both them and their supplies. They carved steering poles from part of a another tree trunk, tying a flat hunk of tree to the end to make rustic oars. They packed up and piled their supplies in the sand. 

“Now, let’s see if this thing floats.” Nicole said, wiping her forehead with her t-shirt sleeve. 

They lifted the raft. It was heavy so they got it to the water quickly. Once they were knee deep in the turquoise water, they dropped their makeshift vessel. It floated easily. 

“It works!” Waverly exclaimed. They shared a celebratory laugh.  
“ Okay, hold it here, I’ll go grab our stuff!” Nicole said excitedly and then splashed back to the beach. 

She returned with half the supplies, one oar, and some left over rope. Waverly tied things down as Nicole went back for the rest. She returned, dragging the other oar behind her. Once everything was secured and final checks were made, they both carefully got on the raft. 

“Okay, the wind is blowing with us so that is going to help us significantly.” Nicole said as she got situated. 

Waverly looked up. Clouds had moved in, which was good for protection from the sun but slightly worrisome considering it may be a storm system moving through. She ignored them for the moment though. 

“We’re doing it. We’re going to Pongo.” Waverly exhaled with excitement. 

They both focused their eyes on the mysterious island. Lush jungle sat atop yellow sand and black rock. Mountains grew out of the east side of the island with the king of all mountains, the volcano, rising taller, darker, and more domineering than the rest. 

“Let’s do this.” Waverly said, getting into a comfortable rowing position, sitting cross-legged and gripping her oar. 

They ran their paddles through the water, pushing their raft out to sea. The turquoise water was almost clear and Waverly could see the murky sand floor swirl with each stroke. Small waves rocked them gently, tipping the raft back and forth like a swing. 

“Do you get seasick?” Nicole said resting the oar on the raft for a moment, and digging for something in her medical waist pack. 

“Not often. Do you?” Waverly said.

“ Sometimes.” Nicole found what she was looking for and began unwrapping what looked like a mint. 

“But luckily, I have these.” She displayed the cough drop sized candy before popping it into her mouth with a smile. 

“Ginger chews?” Waverly smiled. 

“Yes. Little miracle workers for stomachs like mine.” Nicole chuckled. 

“Which flavor? Regular or Orange?” Waverly asked, still rowing.  
“Hmmm, let me check.” Nicole said, examining the wrapper. “Uh, regular.” She said and then picked up her oar to help Waverly row. 

“That’s the best one. I like to brag that I have a stomach of steel but, the waves in Hawaii had me downing those like there was no tomorrow.” 

“ Hawaii? What were you doing there?” Nicole asked, paddling. 

“Visiting my brother. He’s in the navy and was stationed down at Honolulu for awhile. We went on this catamaran ride around the island. It was awesome but we were going over like 10 foot swells and that was less awesome on the tum-tum.” Waverly patted her belly. Nicole laughed. 

“Do you have siblings?” Waverly asked. 

“I have a younger brother.” 

“What does he do?” 

“He’s a doctor in Canada.” 

“Medicine runs in the family.” Waverly grinned. “Do you get to see him often?” 

“Sometimes. The last time I visited him was for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving in Canada is cold, let me tell you.”  
They laughed and then got quiet, staring into the sea, rowing against the waves, wondering if they would ever see their brothers or families again. 

As they got closer to Pongo, the waves got bigger and the wind changed direction slightly and started pushing them to the left of the island. The seaspray jumped up at them. 

“Look, birds.” Nicole pointed at a couple birds flying over the raft. The birds were some sort of gull - pure white with black wing bars and orange beaks. Waverly and Nicole watched them pass and then they returned to huffing and puffing with the oars, trying to keep the raft aligned with their target destination. 

Soon they were at the breakers of Pongo. Their energy was waning and their arms flagging. But then a sight refueled them. 

“Look!” Waverly shouted. She put the oar down and, laying on her stomach, looked down into the water. 

A menagerie of vibrant and colorful coral lay under them. Nicole followed suite and for a brief moment they let the raft drift and admired the reef. Slowly, they floated over antler-like staghorn, pink pillars, green and blue brain coral, and large leafy red coral. If they really focused their eyes they could make out the bright forms of reef fish - striped angels, mottled clowns, and speckled groupers. 

“Nicole! Look over here!” Waverly sat up and looked at Nicole. 

Nicole glanced over. A brown and green sea turtle, probably about half the size of the raft, plodded alongside them, it’s wise looking head with eyes like saucer plates periscoping the waves. 

“Wow!” They laughed joyously as they watched the reptile pass. They had gotten got off course slightly so they took up the paddles and straightened out. Then they returned to their observation. It was just too good to miss. 

“Holy shit! It’s a shark!” Nicole exclaimed and pointed at the darting gray fin. It was small and only had an interest in baitfish. They watched it with enthusiasm. 

“Just don’t fall off the raft.” Nicole advised. 

Suddenly, a microburst of wind hit. It knocked the raft hard and the women had to hold tight to the edges of their vessel to keep from falling off. A few gulls were affected and whipped right over them, almost grazing the heads of Waverly and Nicole. Then a large, heavy-looking bird flew towards them, unaffected by the wind gusts. It was brown and white, almost shaggy looking, with a sharp black beak and cunning yellow eyes. It squawked as it flew past. 

“ What kind of bird was that?” Nicole yelled into the wind, fighting the waves with her oar. 

“ I think it was a petrel!” Waverly called out. “They’re supposedly a harbinger of storms.” 

Just then, thunder sounded over head. Just as they cleared the reef and were in deeper water, the rain began. 

“We have to get ashore!” Nicole said. They began to paddle furiously. Lightning flashed. The raft teetered precariously on the stronger waves. They kept a surprisingly straight course considering the wind was working against them now. The rain blew in their faces. They were soaked. 

“We’re almost there!” Nicole yelled looking out ahead. Pongo’s beach was getting closer. 

Another microburst hit and Nicole was flung off the raft. 

“Nicole!” Waverly cried out and rushed to the other side of the raft. 

She looked into the water but she couldn’t see her. Desperately, she searched the water, blinded by the downpour and the constant swirling of waves. She was getting scared. But then she felt something tugging on her oar. She pulled and a gasping Nicole came halfway onto the raft. Waverly lunged forward and grabbed Nicole under the arms. She pulled back with everything she could and Nicole came forward, fully on the raft, and on top of Waverly. They separated and quickly went back to rowing before the raft was overturned. The storm worsened and soon most of Pongo Island was lost in fog and mist. Only a sliver of beach ahead reassured them that they were traveling in the right direction. They made that their target. After what felt like hours of fighting the storm, they very abruptly ran aground.

“Is this the beach or just a sandbar?” Waverly yelled over the rain. 

“I don’t know!” Nicole yelled back. 

But looking up, they had their answer. In the momentary glare of another flash of lightning loomed the volcano. Below, shadowed by thick fog was the jungle. 

Quickly, Waverly cut loose their supplies. Nicole hauled the raft further up shore. Lightning struck a nearby palm tree with an ear-shattering crackle. Nicole dropped the raft and took a backpack from Waverly. 

“Hurry! Let’s go.” 

They sprinted up the beach clutching their packs. Lightning struck several more times and thunder rocked the air around them. They continued running, weaving through vegetation and somehow not tripping once. 

Waverly, leading the way, swiftly came to a halt. Nicole almost ran into her. In front of them was a dense wall of fog. 

“This may be a cliff. Here, this way!” She ran off to the left with Nicole following behind. After a few more seconds, Waverly spotted a cave. 

“There!” She yelled. They sprinted into the cave. They dropped their bags immediately and leaned against the wall, panting. They briefly looked around. The cave was shallow, dry, and empty. Slowly, they regained their breath. Looking at each other they started to laugh. 

“We did it!” They said at the same time, grinning from ear to ear. 

Nicole stood up and stretched. “ Oh, I’m soaked.” She groaned and took her pack to the back of the cave. “I’m going to change into some dry clothes.”  
Waverly sat down and began to unpack. She glanced over at Nicole who had her back to her. As soon as Nicole started to pull up her wet shirt and reveal a flawlessly muscular back, Waverly turned away. She wanted to be respectful. She kept unpacking, focusing on the supplies. 

“Oh look, the rain stopped.” Nicole smiled and sauntered back toward Waverly now wearing black shorts and a yellow Baylor University tee. 

Waverly hadn’t even noticed. 

“ I doubt there’s anything dry to burn right now. But it might be worth looking.” Nicole said, rubbing her hand through her wet, red hair. 

“ You go ahead. I’m going to change real fast and then I’ll be right there.” Waverly said. 

Nicole smiled and walked out of the cave. Waverly faced the back of the cave, just in case Nicole came back. She peeled off her saturated clothes and quickly put on a dry pair of khaki shorts and a black tank top. 

“Waverly, you have to come see this!” Nicole was at the entrance. Waverly jogged out to meet Nicole. The sun was breaking through the clouds and the fog was dissipating. 

Nicole quietly led Waverly away from the cave. They stopped at where the wall of fog had been. The sun had diminished it to a few strands of mist. Waverly could hear severals large birds squawking. 

“Come look.” Nicole said motioning Waverly with an inviting wave of the hand while carefully walking to the edge of what Waverly accurately predicted as a cliff. 

Waverly curiously stepped up to Nicole’s side. Then she saw it. Her face brightened. Nicole was already beaming. Down below them was a steep and sandy valley. At the bottom was a marsh. At one end there was a waterfall. An actual waterfall! It cascaded cool and clear over moss-covered rocks, falling into a shallow pond which trailed off into the marsh. But one of the most amazing things at the moment was the hundred or so macaws that squawked and flew around the valley. Many of them were hanging onto the sandy valley walls, digging at something with their curved, black beaks. 

“They’re eating clay.” Waverly said, nearly speechless. “I’ve heard there’s places in South America where this happens. I’ve always wanted to see this.” 

Nicole watched Waverly, smiling uncontrollably at the happiness this was bringing her. They found a dry, rocky area under a leafy tree to sit and watch this phenomenon of nature. They tried to make a fire with some semi-dry branches they found but it wouldn’t catch. 

“That’s okay. We’ll take these back to the cave and dry them out for tomorrow.” Waverly said. Nicole liked the way she said tomorrow. It was hopeful. 

They kept gazing out over the paradiscal valley with the colorful parrots flying to and fro. 

“I just can’t get over it.” Waverly said, her arms were wrapped around her knees. 

Nicole was propped up against the leafy tree. “I know. It’s amazing.” She smiled and took in the view. 

“So this is Pongo. This is the island we were supposed to have landed on.” Waverly said. 

“ It’s so different than the other one.” Nicole said. 

“Yeah.” Waverly said looking around. “It is.” 

They sat in silence a moment. 

“Whew, I’m beat.” Nicole said, tiredly staring into the valley. The sun was beginning to set off to the left, meaning the were looking north. 

“ What would you be doing right now, you know, if you were back at home.” Waverly asked.  
Nicole exhaled and thought a moment. Home seemed so far away. “Well, I have no idea what day it is,” she chuckled, “but if it was a Saturday night, I would probably be watching a movie on my couch with my cat.” 

Waverly laughed, “what’s the last movie you watched?” 

“Hmm, let me think. Probably.. Tomb Raider. The new one, with Alicia Vikander.” 

“Ha!” Waverly laughed. “Really, Tomb Raider?” 

“Yeah” Nicole smiled, embarrassed. “Is that totally lame?” 

“No, not at all. No, it’s cute. And it is a good movie . Also, Lara Croft is hot and probably a better archaeologist than I am.” 

“But is she also a geologist?” Nicole grinned at Waverly. Waverly laughed. “Good point, Haught. Good point.” 

“ What would you be doing?” Nicole asked. The light was fading and the squawks of the vivacious macaws faded with it.  
“Probably playing Tomb Raider on Playstation.” She said, then laughed. “I’m not even joking, the new game - Shadow of the Tomb Raider - is so good.” They both laughed. 

“ Oh, look. The stars are coming out,” Nicole moved over to sit next to Waverly. Waverly’s heart skipped a beat. 

“Oh, I see Toucana. Do you see it?” Nicole’s hand rested on Waverly’s back. Waverly felt the exhilarating heat move up her spine and into her chest. 

“Maybe.” Waverly said. “So it’s starts with the three small stars that look like Orion’s belt...” 

“Yeah, and then it goes across, no..wait... up?” Nicole attempted, her finger dancing in the sky. 

“Yeah, your right, it goes up and forms a triangle...” Waverly said, joining Nicole in sky drawing. 

“And then it trails across, hooks downward and there you have it...Toucana.” Nicole removed her hand and used it to prop herself up so she could lean closer to Waverly. 

“Toucana.” Waverly said. 

“Toucana.” Nicole repeated. “It’s fun to say.” 

“We make a good team.” Waverly turned and looked it Nicole’s dark eyes. 

“We do.” Nicole said, scooting closer to Waverly and staring back into her eyes.

They sat a moment, staring at each other. Then, almost at the same time, they slowly leaned in, and kissed. It was like fireworks, a lightning strike. They parted and smiled at one another. No one said anything. They just sat, still smiling, shoulder to shoulder, looking out at the night sky. After awhile, Nicole spoke. 

“We should probably head back.” 

“Yeah, we should.” 

Slowly, they got up and walked back to the cave. They hadn’t brought a flashlight but they somehow managed to get back to the cave without much falling over. Once inside their new shelter, they each fell into separate clothing piles and fell asleep.


	5. Mountains and Valleys

Waverly woke up to a light, morning rain. Nicole was at the entrance of the cave, setting out empty cans to collect water. Waverly sat up and watched her with admiration; that athletic build and red hair set her on fire. Nicole turned. 

“Good morning.” She smiled. 

“Good morning.” Waverly replied, biting her lower lip as Nicole swaggered over. 

“Did you sleep okay?” Nicole asked, casually taking a seat next to Waverly. 

“I did.” Waverly said, naturally gravitating toward Nicole. “Did you?” 

“Yeah.” Nicole said. 

They leaned toward one another and kissed. Nicole gently moved her hands up to Waverly’s neck and face. Waverly grabbed Nicole around the middle, making sure she wouldn’t pull away too soon. Their mouths thirsted for one another. After a few minutes, when, for the moment, the thirst was sated, they parted, smiling. 

“So are you ready to climb a mountain today?” Waverly asked, still looking into those deep, dark eyes. 

“I am.” Nicole chuckled, remembering how last night, after they had crashed into their clothes piles and she was drifting off to sleep, she heard Waverly groggily call out to her from across the cave: “We should climb up one of those mountains tomorrow.” 

“I’m surprised you remember that.” Nicole said, “You were basically asleep.” 

“Sometimes, I come up with the best ideas in my sleep.” Waverly laughed. 

They packed, taking everything with them in case they needed to make another camp. They headed out. Walking east, they noticed that there was more varied vegetation than on the other island. The volume of trees was denser and the vines thicker. There were more species of mosses and lichens - green, orange, and blue-crawling up tree trunks and carpeting portions of the jungle floor. Ferns surrounded them - some with slender leaves, others with segmented leaflets radiating from their stems. Waverly brushed her fingers across a fern with purple-tinted, feathery leaves. 

“I bet Brent could have told us what these were.” 

They heard more birds than they saw, but every once in awhile a couple of small ones would dart over their heads and disappear into the trees before they could get a good look at them. Some time along their walk, they came across a leafy tree with odd-shaped, yellow fruit that Waverly had not seen before. 

“Oh look, it’s Carambola! ” Nicole said. She picked one gently from the tree and examined it. “Starfruit.” She smiled at Waverly. Waverly came over to take a closer look. 

“ I’ve never seen or tasted it before. I only know it from my pre-expedition studies. You want to try it? I know it’s safe to eat.” Nicole said, “as long as you don’t have kidney disease.” She quickly added, blushing. 

“I’m glad you know you know your stuff, Haught.” Waverly smiled slyly at Nicole and took the piece of fruit the doctor was offering her. Waverly popped it into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. 

“It’s good.” Waverly said. 

Nicole tried some too and agreed. Then, they picked a few more of the delicate fruit and stowed it carefully in their packs. 

After awhile, brown and black rock began appearing more frequently underfoot. As the terrain became rockier, the trees became thinner, and most were replaced with carpets of spiky ferns and curly shrubs. Waverly and Nicole cautiously picked their way through the ankle-high plants, taking care not to trip and tumble down the hill they were now ascending. When they crested a high ridge, they stopped. Standing side by side, sharing some more starfruit, they looked out over the land. Green and yellow treetops spread as far as the eye could see. Mountains continued on their right, blocking their view of the east. The volcano lurked far off in a hazy shadow. They continued on, eager to see an even better view. Around noon, they arrived at the summit. It was magnificent. They stood, side by side, stunned. They had a view of the entire island. Most of it was undulating jungle. Waverly counted at least five valleys. She hoped that they all contained flocks of clay eating macaws. What Waverly was most excited about though was the stream. 

“Where is the stream?” Nicole asked, scanning the area. Other than the ocean, she didn’t see any water anywhere. 

“You can’t actually see it but I think it’s right there.” She extended her arm and pointed. “Where the vegetation is a little taller and a little more vibrant than the rest.” 

Nicole saw what she meant and followed the lushness to and fro until it ended in far off in a blurry midday haze.

“Wow.” Nicole said, impressed. “I would never have guessed there was a stream there.” 

Waverly smirked, glad that she could impress Haught. “Archaeologists are pretty good at finding water features. Usually, where there’s water, there’s settlements.” 

“And where’s there’s settlements, there’s artifacts.” Nicole grinned. 

“Exactly.” Waverly returned the grin. “Hopefully.” She corrected. 

Nicole turned to look in the opposite direction. 

“Waverly, look at this.” Nicole said. 

Waverly turned and looked. There, sitting quietly in the noon-time sun, was the island they had come from. Turquoise waves splashed it’s stark beaches and the tree tops swayed in the southbound wind. It was actually quite serene to gaze upon. But if they looked hard enough they could see the tail of Waverly’s plane sticking out from the tree canopy, glinting in the sun. Waverly looked on solemnly, remembering all who had been lost in that crash. They stood quietly for a moment, reality weighing on them. 

Then Nicole broke the silence. “Let’s go find that stream.” 

They continued across the ridge. After a bit, they heard the sound of trickling water. Hurrying, they came to the ridge’s sharp edge. Below them was a valley, filled with large boulders and forest vegetation. And hidden between spindly, leafy trees was a clear, cool rill trickling down the middle of the valley floor. It flowed passed them and continued westward. They saw that it exuded down the valley wall on their right, jumping down protruding boulders along the way. Carefully, the explorers descended into the valley. Nicole approached the tiny waterfall, examining it with a keen eye. She ran her hand under the water quickly. 

“It should be safe to drink.” Nicole smirked at Waverly. “Come on, let’s fill our canteens!” 

Nicole took off her pack and began filling canisters with the clean, stream water. Waverly followed suit. They stood on either side of the thin cascade, taking turns placing their canteens under the running water. Waverly stopped half way on her refill and took a swig, unable to resist the freshness. Suddenly, her arm and torso were dashed with water, making her jump slightly. She looked over at Nicole. Dr. Haught stood across from her, filling her canteen while trying to hide a guilty smile. 

Waverly playfully swept her hand through the water, sending a burst of water into Nicole’s chest. Nicole laughed and sent water right back onto Waverly. Waverly shrieked and then ran off down the valley. Nicole chased her. They both laughed happily as they zig zagged across the valley floor, skipping over the stream and dodging between boulders, trying to throw water on each other. 

Suddenly, Waverly halted abruptly with a yell. 

Then, in relief, she flattened her hand on her chest to calm her pounding heart. “Oh my gosh.” She panted. Nicole was already breathlessly at her side. “That thing scared the living daylights out of me.” Waverly pointed down to the ground. 

On a flat, mossy rock near the edge of the rill sat a large, green iguana. The lizard seemed completely unfazed by the two, gasping women hovering above him. The reptile didn’t even bat a large, copper eye at them. 

“I’ve never seen an iguana quite like this.” Nicole said, “look at it’s spikes, they’re all a creamy white.” 

It was true. The lizard’s mohawk of spines were tall and pale. It also had ivory colored stripes etched onto its green scales. 

“Interesting.” Waverly kneeled down to get a closer look at this regal looking lizard. But as she did, something ran across her boot. 

“Look!” Waverly exclaimed, as more of the creatures scurried across her feet. 

Looking down Nicole saw tiny, green and white lizards scamper across the jungle floor. 

“There like the ones we saw on the other island, except these are green and white.” Waverly commented. 

“They look like the big one.” Nicole said, “ are these tiny ones its babies?” 

“I don’t know.” Waverly responded and began creeping forward, trying to get a better look at the little lizards. 

Suddenly, she felt something hard beneath her boot. She lifted her foot and gazed down. The thing she had stepped on was pale green and partially covered with muddy vegetation. She bent down and picked it up. It was another perfectly round disc. 

“Another one?” Nicole came up behind her, surprised. 

“Yeah.” Waverly said, as she used her shirt to wipe it clean. “Except I think this one is made out of Jadeite. Or maybe Nephrite?” Waverly ran her hand across the smooth, creamy green surface of the disc. White quartz veins shimmered against the sun. 

Nicole thought a moment. “Okay, I didn’t learn anything about Jadeite or Nephrite in my geology lab.” She admitted. 

“Culturally, both Jadeite and Nephrite are known as just jade. Nephrite was most common in China and Jadeite could be found in Burma and a handful of places throughout Southeast Asia. It’s hard to tell what type of jade this is without testing it. I wish I had my equipment.” Waverly explained, disappointed that her equipment was lost in the crash. “These quartz veins are strange though. You usually don’t see that in jade.” 

Waverly toggled the rock back and forth in the sunlight. The sugary quartz crystals were enchanting. Suddenly, a loud croak sounded behind them, breaking them from the stone’s attention. The women turned. Behind them, the rock where the green and ivory iguana sat was barren. Another croak, and the women turned just in time to see a green and white iguana tail slink into deep vegetation.


	6. Jaguar

They continued following the stream. With the exception of some mushrooms Nicole said were okay to eat, they saw little else. As evening approached, they heard the sound of falling water and, looking ahead, they saw that the valley sharply dropped off. As they approached the edge, so did the stream. It raced passed their boots and fell gracefully downward into a small, round, crystal clear lake. 

“Wow.” They whispered at the same time, staring at the shimmering water. 

They carefully lowered themselves down the craggy valley wall, descending into another valley with the pristine and paradiscal lake on their left. On their right, was an inviting grassy knoll. They dropped their packs there and then walked to the edge of the pond. The falling stream caused gorgeous ripples across the water’s surface. 

“ This is beautiful.” Waverly took it all in. 

“It reminds me of a swimming hole that I used to frequent in Texas. Except it wasn’t this clear.” Nicole said. “And the one in Texas was full of snapping turtles.” She added with a laugh. 

Waverly laughed too. “Well, I don’t see any turtles.” Then she turned to Nicole, brimming with excitement. “Let’s set up camp and then go for a swim!” 

The women rushed back to the knoll and began unpacking. First, they set up the tents. Once that was done, they scavenged the area for wood and kindling. In one corner of the valley, Waverly happened upon a cluster of bulbous, tawny mushrooms. 

“Hey Nicole, “ Waverly turned with a mushroom in hand. “Can we eat these?” 

Nicole quickly made her way over. She examined the mushroom thoroughly - prodding the plant’s gills with her thumb, smelling the cap, and scrutinizing the stem with those intelligent eyes. Waverly enjoyed watching her work. Nicole kneeled and quietly glanced at the cluster from which it was picked, taking time to rub jungle soil between her fingers. She wanted to be sure.

“Yes, we can eat this.” Nicole announced. “ This is Agaricus Silvata, or Spring Cap. See how it has tiny, greenish scales” Nicole rose to show Waverly the scales. 

Without a word, Waverly, overwhelmed by the amazing woman that stood before her, grabbed Nicole by the shirt, pulled her in, and kissed her long and slow. They parted and smiled at each other. Then they collected the rest of the mushroom and carried them back to camp. The day’s light was leisurely fading and Nicole began building a fire. 

Waverly piled up whatever loose vegetation there was within an arm’s reach and then went out to the lagoon for more. The swimming hole, with it’s small veil of spilling water was alluring. Waverly untied and removed her boots. She pulled her socks off, and then, with a quick look at Nicole and the now growing fire behind her, she quickly removed her shirt and shorts and set them on the rocky, lake edge. Completely naked, she slid into the water. She could stand but the water was up to her neck. Her toes sunk slightly into mud and moss as she tiptoed around the lagoon. Then, taking a deep breath, she bent her knees and submerged herself completely under the water. Using strong arm strokes, she propelled herself toward the waterfall. She rose gracefully out of the water. It felt so good to be clean. Under the fall, the water height was lower, only rising to her hip. She ran her hand through her long, wet hair and wiped her face with her hands. She felt extraordinary. 

Nicole was tending the fire, strategically adding bits of fern leaves to it to make sure it would last. She glanced over and saw Waverly in the waning daylight. The archaeologist's back was turned to her but Nicole still blushed. She returned her attention back to the fire but she couldn’t keep it there for very long. Next thing she knew she was looking at Waverly again; but this time, Waverly was looking back. 

There was an added seductiveness to her already sultry dark eyes that gave Nicole goosebumps. Standing in the water, droplets from the fall cascading down her tan skin, Waverly extended her arm, and with a flick of her pointer finger, she beckoned Nicole to come join her. 

Without breaking eye contact, Nicole stood up. She made her way quickly - hungrily - undressing as she went. She carefully got in and disappeared under the water. The next time she resurfaced was right in front of Waverly. She stood up and brushed her sopping, red hair out of her eyes. 

“Hey.” Nicole breathed, excitement in her eyes.  
“Hey.” Waverly returned the smile and grabbed Nicole by the arm. 

Nicole looked down at her feet in a moment of shyness. 

“Whoa! My feet are glowing.” She started. 

Waverly looked down. Their feet were swathed with clumps of electric blue particles. 

“Oh my gosh!” Waverly exclaimed. 

They looked out into lagoon. Night had fallen and now the entire little lake was aglow with the same electric blue particles that crowded at their feet. 

“I think it’s bioluminescent algae.” Waverly remarked. 

“It’s beautiful.” Nicole whispered. 

They turned to one another and then, at nearly the same time, they met, body to body. Passionately they kissed - Waverly’s hands in Nicole’s hair, Nicole’s hands roaming up and down Waverly. Every touch was like fire, every kiss like electricity. Nicole moved Waverly back against the alcove wall and the cascade engulfed them.

Waverly awoke the next morning tucked in the crook of Nicole’s arm inside one of the tents. Nicole was sleeping deeply. Waverly smiled and wiggled out of the tent. She realized she was wearing Nicole’s Baylor tee. She slipped on a pair of black shorts she found near the lagoon. The morning was pale and cool, a blanket of gray cloud masking the sky. She breathed in deeply and happily. Her eyes fell on the waterfall and she reminisced about the amazing night she had had with Nicole. She sat on the edge of the lagoon, sticking her legs in the water. Just then she heard the tent unzip behind her. Turning, she saw Nicole emerge in a navy tank top and khaki shorts. Scratching her head and yawning she contently made her way over to Waverly. She took a seat, placing her legs in the water. 

“Good morning.” She said cheerfully, and gave Waverly a kiss on the mouth. 

“Good morning.” Waverly said with uncontrollable bubbliness after they parted. 

“It looks like it may rain today.” Nicole commented looking up at the sky. 

“Maybe.” Waverly said. “ I think we should hike that way today.” She pointed toward the cluster of mushrooms and the jungle lined wall behind them. 

“Sounds good to me. “ Nicole grinned, adoration in her eyes. 

They returned to camp and packed up. They climbed up over the edge of the valley near the mushroom cluster and back into the trees. They munched on the mushrooms they had picked.

“Earthy.” Waverly commented. 

“Could you some soy sauce or something.” Nicole said, breaking off a piece and popping it into her mouth. They both laughed. 

They walked most of the morning through trees and vines. At some point, the moist ground began to rise. Vegetation also became so thick that Nicole had to take the lead and carve a path with her machete. They made good time hacking and slashing through the jungle but then, suddenly, Nicole’s machete glanced off something hard. They both jumped with a shriek. 

“It looks like a pillar of rock.” Nicole said, moving closer and beginning to slice off the vegetation tangled around the pillar. Waverly kneeled with her hunting knife and did away with the vines curling around the pillar’s feet. When they were finished, they stood back to get a good look. 

“I think it’s some kind of cat.” Nicole said, cocking her head to one side. 

She was right. The rectangular piece of unpolished basalt that stood sticking vertically out of the ground before them had been crudely sculpted to resemble some sort of angry jungle cat - rounded ears were positioned up and back, a wrinkled nose and snarling mouth grew out of the front of the statue, clawed paws sat on the jungle floor, an erect tail was etched into the backside of the rock, and misshapen hollowed out eyes stared vacantly out at them. 

Waverly walked around the statue carefully, the wheels in her head turning. She kneeled for a better look. Her hand ran down the statue’s side. She felt divots in the stone. Looking even closer, she saw shallow pockmarks. 

“It’s a jaguar.” Waverly said, confidently. 

“How do you know?” Nicole asked. 

“Look, I think these shallows are supposed to be spots.”

Nicole kneeled beside her, trying to see the divots. 

“And look at this,” She said with slight awe. “the spots seems to be colored with ochre.” Waverly dipped a finger in a divot and a rusty red dust stuck to her finger.”

“What’s ochre?” Nicole asked. 

“It’s a paint made from clay and ferric oxide. Paleolithic people used it for cave paintings and then later civilizations used it to color statues and reliefs.” She rubbed the red paint dust between her fingers, extremely intrigued. 

“I see some yellow on the snout.” Nicole pointed out. 

Waverly looked. “Oh yeah. Yellow ochre. This was probably a very beautiful statue in its prime.” Waverly had both hands on the statue at this point. 

“That’s something I find very interesting." She said, thoughtfully. In their own time, statues like this were beautifully colored, and most of the time, beautifully ornamented with gemstones and even gold. But by the time you see them, or see a picture of them, or see it in a museum, they look gray and worn down.” 

“What is is doing here?” Nicole asked. 

“I’m not sure. Many cultures worshipped animals for different reasons. Maybe there used to be a temple or prayer grounds here.” Waverly looked around. 

“We could circle the area. See if we come across any more of these things.” Nicole offered. 

“Yes, that’s a great idea.” Waverly said, smiling at Nicole. She grabbed the doctor's wrist with a gentle squeeze and lead her away from the statue. 

The statue remained behind. But something was different about it that the women didn’t see before leaving...now the hollow eyes of the jaguar shone a dull blue.


	7. Dreams

“Here’s another one!” Waverly cried out, running to another plant encrusted pillar. They freed it from it’s viney prison and beheld a statue identical to the first. Waverly inspected it closely. 

“Yup, it’s a jaguar.” Waverly confirmed, touching the sculpture’s stony flank. She stared into the cat’s crude eyes. The eyes stared back at her - empty and gray. They continued on, finding four more stone statues undifferentiated from the others. Never once did they backtrack, anxious to move ahead and find more. 

“These statues seem to be leading us somewhere.” Nicole said, as she cut down the ever-thickening forest around them. 

“Yes, but where?” Waverly said, her curiosity piqued. Sweaty and tired, they trudged on. 

“I see an opening ahead!” Nicole said, happy to finally take a break from the stuffy, jungle air. 

They made for it. When they broke out of the trees onto a large stone outcropping, a jaguar sculpture was waiting for them. It stood facing them - snarling mouth agape, annoyed ears pinched back, misshapen eyes vacant and colorless - like it was displeased at their very presence. Waverly and Nicole approached it cautiously; they weren’t use to seeing one so free of vegetation. Waverly inched forward and examined it. 

“Well, It’s exactly like the others.” She said, disappointedly puzzled. 

“This seems to be a dead end. Maybe we missed some along the way?” Nicole said, glancing back toward the jungle. 

“Maybe.” Waverly sat down. She was tired. “At least we have a good view here.” 

Nicole sat down beside her and they looked out ahead of them. The treetops stretched out toward the horizon, with no end in sight. They saw a large bird soaring low over the canopy but it was too far away to identify. 

“So, are jaguars common in the South Pacific?” Nicole asked, gently playing with Waverly’s hair. 

“No, not usually.” Waverly said, Nicole’s touch once again electrifying her being. “I mean, sometimes a couple show up in Indonesia and other islands but for the most part the jaguar is only found in Mexico and South America. The Mayans and Aztecs worshipped them.” 

“As gods and goddesses?” Nicole asked. 

“Oh yeah. There are several jaguar gods and goddesses in Mesoamerican mythology. And, according to legend, the jaguar is the most commonly chosen form for nagual.”

“ Nagual?” Nicole asked. 

“Shapeshifters.” Waverly replied. “People who can turn themselves into animals. They're are actually common among many cultures. Generally, those who shapeshift choose animals that are known to the area. In most cases, powerful animals. Predators.” 

“So no shapeshifter is choosing to shapeshift into a chicken?” Nicole joked. 

Waverly laughed. “Precisely.” 

“A jaguar would be a good animal to shapeshift into; they’re strong, powerful, fearless, beautiful. ” Nicole’s carressing fingertips now stopped roaming on this last word. 

Waverly turned and became immediately lost in those extraordinarily cosmic, brown eyes that were peering into her own. 

Nicole got hung up on Waverly’s lips - those delicate, soft, kissable...

Nicole pulled Waverly in, aching for those lips. Waverly let her have them. Waverly pushed Haught slowly and carefully, yet firmly and fiercely to the ground, lips never unlocking. A low thunder rumbled overhead but they ignored it, too absorbed with one another to notice. They made love into the evening. 

By nightfall, they had a tent pitched and a fire blazing. The statue still stood, dull and dormant, on the edge of the rocky cliff. 

Nicole sat examining it from across the hearth. “That statue is starting to freak me out.” She chuckled. 

Waverly, who was prodding the fire, set her poking stick aside and came to rest in Nicole’s arms. 

“Well, stop looking at it then.” Waverly said with a laugh. 

They sat quietly for a moment, contentment bright on their faces. 

“So, where do you live when you are not traveling the world for work?” Nicole asked. 

“ Salt Lake City. ” Waverly smiled.

“Nice. I’ve snowboarded there before.” Nicole replied. 

“You snowboard?” Waverly said, mildly impressed. 

“Sort of.” Nicole nodded with a bashful smile. 

“ Sweet! I ski! Have you ever been to Brighton?” 

“ I haven’t. But I've always wanted to go. ” Nicole replied. 

“Oh, you would love it. Best place for snowboarding.” Waverly smiled, getting lost in a reverie. She stretched out so her head was in Nicole’s lap. “ I sometimes bring my dog, Chiso, up there with me. He’s a yellow lab. Last winter he was certified as an avalanche rescue dog.” 

“Aw, that’s awesome!” Nicole grinned, seeing Waverly happily lost in a memory made her happy. "I'm going to take you there one day." Waverly insisted, her eyes closed as she suggested this dream. Nicole felt giddy at the prospect. 

“How about you? Where do live?” Waverly ran her fingers up and down Nicole’s knee as they talked. 

“ White Plains.” Nicole started playing with Waverly’s hair again. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other. 

“Oh, close to Manhattan!” Waverly sang. 

“Yeah! It’s pretty fun!” 

“You like Manhattan?” Waverly asked. 

“Love it.” Nicole smiled. “Have you ever been there?” 

“A couple times. But only for conferences. ” 

“ Well, when we get off this island, I’ll have to take you on a tour.” Nicole took Waverly’s hand. Waverly smiled. _When._

__

“I’d like that.” She whispered, looking up at Nicole. 

They sat in silence by the fire awhile, memories of their former lives and fantasies of the future flickering amongst the flames. Eventually, they retired to their tent. 

They slept soundly that night. A quiet rain fell. There were no sounds except for the wind rustling the trees around them. Nicole lay asleep on her back with Waverly tucked into her right side.  
And then, at some point in the early morning, when the moon had set and the sky was still black,  
Nicole woke up screaming. 

“What is it? What is it?” Waverly shrieked, thinking that something had gotten into the tent. She grabbed her bedside flashlight, switched it on, and whirled it around. 

“Lizards! Lizards!” Nicole yelled, flinching as if lizards were crawling under her. 

“Lizards? I don’t see any-” Waverly said, shining the light everywhere but turning up nothing. 

Suddenly, Nicole stop flailing and exhaled heavily - returning to reality. “It was just a dream.” She put her hands on pale face and took an exhausted but relieved breath. 

Waverly pressed one hand against the Nicole’s chest. The heart beat was a mile a minute. 

“It’s okay.” Waverly’s other hand clutched softly at Nicole’s lank crimson hair. Waverly kissed her temple.  
“ I swear - I swear.” Nicole panted. “I know, babe. I know.” Waverly cooed, giving her more kisses. “ I swear there were a like a thousand lizards in here.” Nicole laughed, slightly embarrassed that a dream had scared her this badly. She was liking the kisses though. Waverly laughed. “I feel like we have seen a thousand lizards since being here so I don't blame you for dreaming about them.” Waverly said and grabbed a canteen of water. “Here, drink some.” 

“Thanks.” Nicole took a drink. Her heart rate was returning to normal. 

“You know, there was also a woman, or something, in my dream. Either before or after the lizards.” Nicole remarked, trying to recall. 

“Please, don’t tell me you had a nightmare about me.” Waverly joked. 

“No. Never.” Nicole quickly planted a kiss on Waverly’s forehead. 

“ It was more of a shadow now that I think of it. But I felt that it was a woman, if you know what I mean. The thing I remember most about it, about her, were the eyes.” 

“What about them? ” Waverly asked. 

“They were glowing, and menacing, and blue.”


	8. Doors

Nicole opened her eyes. Sunlight illuminated the tent, signifying that she had slept in later than usual. She also felt more groggy than usual. Waverly wasn’t at her side. Panicked, she jolted to the tent entrance. She found the archeologist standing on the edge of the cliff, studying the jungle. The rough-hewn jaguar stood defiantly between the two women: facing Nicole. The cat’s indignant features almost seemed to challenge her, as if the creature was opposing her and protecting Waverly. Nicole squinted at the sculpture. Were its eyes glowing a faint blue? Before she had time to consider it further, Waverly knelt at her side. 

“Hey.” She said, massaging Nicole’s back. 

“Hey.” Nicole looked at her with a smile, fear and worry melting away. 

“I didn’t want to wake you. You were sleeping so soundly. That dream last night must have exhausted you more than we thought.” Waverly continued to rub Nicole’s back, her face wrinkled in concern. 

Nicole looked at Waverly appreciatively. “It must have. It’s seems like a distant memory now though.” 

“Good.” Waverly leaned in and they shared a slow kiss. 

“What were you looking at?” Nicole asked when their lips parted. 

“I’m just trying to figure out where we are.” Waverly sighed, looking around. “I think we’ve moved more central. The jungle is really dense here.” Waverly shielded her eyes from the sun and looked out over the trees. 

“There’s no way down from this area. I think we are going to have to go back the way we came.”  
“Well, I’m ready when you are.” Nicole grinned. Waverly stared at her with genuine gratefulness. They kissed. 

For breakfast they shared a can of green beans. 

“ I’ll never get tired of these.” Nicole joked, popping a bean into her mouth. Waverly laughed. 

“Do you cook when you’re at home?” Waverly asked. 

“I do.” Nicole smiled shyly. 

“Oh. Cool. What’s your specialty?” Waverly flirted. 

“I don’t know.” Nicole thought about it while chewing, “I cook salmon a lot, I guess.”

“Oh, fancy.” Waverly beamed, impressed. Nicole thought of how much she would enjoy cooking for this woman. 

“Do you cook?” Nicole asked. 

“I can make a mean grilled cheese every once in awhile.” Waverly teased. They both laughed. 

After breakfast, they bid the jaguar statue farewell and re-entered the jungle, ready to find its siblings. They fought through the vegetation. 

“Here’s one.” Nicole said, revealing a snarling wildcat with a sweep of her machete. 

“And here’s another one!” Waverly exclaimed. “We must be going the right way.” 

“The right way to where though?” Nicole asked, as they continued on. 

Shortly after leaving the two jaguar statues, the ground began to descend rapidly. The vegetation didn’t relent, however, and both women were fatigued after a turn with the machete. But, five statues, and what might have been hours later, Nicole swept away a large patch of foliage, revealing a somewhat cleared and leveled glade. The grass and ferns were short here, and large, thick- trunked trees, not unlike oaks, lined both sides. 

“This is different.” Waverly commented. 

She gazed up and noted how the tree branches intertwined to almost form a roof overhead. The sun filtered through the slightly swaying roof of leaves, creating a play of warm light and dark shadow on the ground below. Small ferns and plants dotted the glade’s interior, but nothing required a machete to cut through which was a nice change of pace. At one point, they came across a small band of thin trees, no taller than Nicole. Small, round, red fruit hung from its thin, pale branches. 

“Islandfoot Cherries.” Nicole expressed with excitement. She picked one off the branch and ate it. “I’ve read about these. Not a bad source of protein.” She grinned at Waverly. 

Waverly tried one. It was pleasantly sweet. “ I like it.” She eyed Nicole up and down. Nicole bit her lip and stared longingly at Waverly. 

They rushed at each other, kissing ferociously. They slunk to the ground beneath the cherries, ripping clothes off one another. Nicole slid her body over Waverly’s. It was her turn to be on top.  
After their lovemaking beneath the cherry trees, they rested in each others arms. It felt so right. Waverly looked around, trying to take in everything the moment had to offer: the light-skinned bark of the cherry trees, the sweet scent of fruit mingled with moist earth, Nicole’s breath on her bare skin, the lingering taste of Nicole’s lips, the sound of the wind rustling through canopy leaves. 

After a few more minutes of peaceful rest, they got dressed and continued on their way. Night was on the way and they wanted to do a little more exploring before making camp. 

They hadn’t walked long when they noticed that the soft earth beneath them had turned to hard stone. 

“Interesting.” Waverly stamped her foot. “I don’t think this is natural stone. I think this was put here.” She knelt and brushed away scattered leaves revealing a smooth and level stone slab. 

They traced their path along the stone slabs that were connecting to make a walkway down the center of the glade. 

“What’s that?” Waverly said and skipped across the stones toward something that Nicole could not see. Waverly disappeared behind some ferns and gasped. Nicole caught up to her and stopped short. 

They were looking at what appeared to be a half ruined stone house. The fallen half lay in a pile of disorganized rubble. With the exception of a fallen lintel, the intact part of the house was still accessible through a small opening. Waverly squeezed herself through. 

“Waverly, be careful.” Nicole said as she followed her in. 

Waverly already had her flashlight illuminating the dark interior. The space was barely big enough for the both of them to stand in. Waverly could feel Nicole’s fit body up against hers as they searched the place. Waverly cleared away the moss and foliage that was growing on the walls. As her hands scraped over the wall in front of them, Waverly’s fingers felt grooves and smooth protrusions. Using both hands, she did away with the vegetation and revealed just what she expected. 

“A relief!” She exclaimed, her voice bouncing off the ruin walls. 

“Wow. It’s beautiful.” Nicole stared at the stone wall that had been chiseled by ancient hands to create an almost three dimensional scene. 

“And well preserved.” Waverly said, scrutinizing it for scrapes and dashes but not seeing any. 

The artwork depicted a giant, mohawkless lizard - “a komodo dragon.” Waverly estimated - trapped in a brawl with an equally, if not slightly larger, jungle cat - “the jaguar.” Nicole confirmed excitedly. This jaguar exhibited the same angry features of the statues they had found. Additionally, this jaguar’s snarling mouth was now hinged around the lizard’s neck and it’s sharp-clawed paw was raised, ready to strike. The komodo dragon had swart-looking eyes and a wavy tongue that flowed out of it’s gaping, toothy maw. 

“ It looks like the jaguar is winning this battle.” Nicole commented. 

“It does. I wonder what this means.” Waverly’s eyes excitedly searched the carving for more clues. 

“See these lines?” Waverly ran her fingers on thick bands of stones that seemed to radiate from the giant animals’ heads. 

“Are those the rays of the sun?” Nicole inquired. 

“Could be.” Waverly answered. “But they also could mean that these animals represent deities.” 

“We have seen several jaguar statues.” Nicole said. 

“Exactly. So maybe the jaguar was a local deity.” Waverly grinned, excited to be cracking the code. 

“But we haven’t seen any komodo dragons.” Nicole remarked. 

“Thank goodness. But we have seen lizards.” 

They stared silently at the relief for a moment. 

“So who’s good and who’s bad?” Nicole asked, trying to figure it out. 

“Not sure, but generally in ancient art, the more powerful being is depicted slightly larger than others. In this case that would be the jaguar.” 

“The jaguar also looks to have the advantage in this fight.” Nicole stepped forward and indicated the neck bite the jaguar was inflicting on the lizard.

“Yes, but all this still doesn't tell us if it’s the good deity. I mean, across cultures jaguars are mostly revered for their positive traits like power, strength, and courage but there have been jaguars deities throughout history that were evil.” Waverly explained. 

“What about the lizard?” Nicole asked.

“ Reptiles generally have a bad rap and lizards are probably some of the least depicted in art. But some cultures have revered them for traits like wisdom and knowledge.”  
Waverly replied. “We need more information.” 

Waverly exited the ruin with Nicole behind her. She looked up at the sky. The sun would set soon. “Let’s keep going.” 

The stone slabs became more frequent and the glade more narrow. Soon the entire floor was constructed of stone slabs. It was when they were forced to walk single file that they realized they were now on a stone bridge. The bridge was assembled from the same stones as the ruined building they saw earlier. No reliefs or statues or carvings adorned it. Despite the gorge beneath, the vegetation seemed to be thickening again and they found themselves ducking under low hanging branches and trudging through thick piles of leaves as they traversed the stone walkway. 

“Where are we going?” Waverly pondered. 

Soon they found water. It was falling from a rocky outcropping on the right hand side, and was only an arm’s reach away. The women stopped and refilled their canteens and took a drink. 

“This is fascinating.” Waverly said, looking around. “But it’s getting dark.” 

“We may have to camp on the bridge tonight.” Nicole suggested. 

They kept moving in hopes of getting off the bridge soon so they could make a more comfortable camp. 

Waverly turned and kept walking. Nicole was about to follow when she thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye - a moving shadow. She whirled around quickly but only saw plants overhanging the side of the bridge. She looked up at the towering and darkening treetops with some apprehension and then caught up with Waverly. 

The sun had now set and they walked with their flashlights glowing. They quickened their pace, not entirely comfortable being on a mysterious bridge to a mysterious destination in the dark. Suddenly, Waverly stopped. Nicole nearly ran into her. 

“I just saw a lizard.” Waverly said and swept the bridge with the flashlight. She saw it scurry away into the dark. Something shiny also caught the light. 

“What is that?” She walked toward it. The bridge wall here was crumbling and in the midst of the disrepair was a thin gold colored rock. “ Babe, shine some light over here.” She beckoned Nicole. Nicole blasted the bridge wall with light; the strange stone sparkled. 

“Is that... gold?” Nicole asked, astonished. 

“It might be.” Waverly answered and then began to kick the broken wall. 

After a few hard kicks, a good portion of wall crumbled and the gold rock slipped out and clattered to the floor. Waverly knelt and picked it up holding it up at eye level. It was another stone disc! They both gasped. Quartz veins glittered in the light. 

“It’s hard to tell, without equipment, if this is gold. It could easily be iron pyrite. These quartz veins are unnatural too.” She rocked the disc back and forth so that the mesmerizing white streaks shimmered. 

Nicole had the feeling of being watched again and she quickly turned. A large tan iguana sitting on the side of the bridge made her jump. 

“Have you noticed that the iguanas are the same color as the discs we are finding?” Nicole said. 

“I have. It’s weird. At first, when we found the basalt and quartz disc, I thought the lizards looked like that way as a sort of camouflage. But now I’m not so sure.” 

The lizard flicked his tongue then disappeared over the side of the bridge. 

Waverly shuddered. “Let’s go a little further. This bridge has to end somewhere.” 

Before long the bridge emptied into a larger foyer-type area. And at the end of this foyer was a wall of stone. 

“It’s a dead end!” Nicole said, gazing at the large wall of stone that now impeded the way. 

“No wait.” Waverly approached the wall. “Look.” The wall was adorned with two carved out jaguars sitting side by side. 

“They look exactly like the statues!” Nicole said. 

“And you see that seam down the middle?” Waverly was referring to the vertical trench that ran down the middle of the wall, from top to bottom, dividing the cats. 

“Yeah.” Nicole said, gazing at it. 

“These are doors.” Waverly said, breathlessly amused. 

Waverly stepped forward and placed a hand on one of the doors. “This is amazing. How do they open though?”  
Waverly didn’t see any knobs or handles. She dug her hand into the seam anyways and pulled. Nothing. She pushed on the doors. Nothing. They wouldn’t budge. Nicole searched the surrounding area. 

“No levers, no switches.” Waverly mumbled angrily. She approached the door and started kicking it. It made a loud booming sound with every strike of her boot. 

“Waverly! Waverly!” Nicole grabbed her under the arms and pulled her away from the door. “It’s okay.”

Waverly slunk to the floor in Nicole’s arms. She was tired and frustrated. Nicole rocked her gently and kissed her temple. “Baby, it’s okay. We’ve been hiking all day. Let’s go to sleep and we will work on this in the morning.” 

Waverly looked exhausted and disappointed. “You’re right.” She gave Nicole a kiss. “I’m sorry.” 

“You don’t have to be sorry. Just rest.” Nicole kissed her again and then, with Waverly holding the flashlight, quickly set up one of the tents. They crawled inside and, wrapped up in each other, immediately fell asleep. 

At some point near dawn, Nicole shot up and started digging through one of the backpacks. 

“ Nicole, what are you doing?” Waverly asked groggily. 

“I know how to open the door!” Nicole exclaimed, frantically rummaging through the pack. 

“What?” Waverly was wide awake now. 

Nicole found what she was looking for - the gold colored disc - and rushed out of the tent. Waverly followed her out with a flashlight. Nicole approached the door and studied it for a panicked moment. Then she jammed the disc into a shallow place under one of the jaguar’s claws. A low rumble sounded. The eyes of the jaguar’s glowed with a bright blue light. Then the doors slowly began to open. They watched with trepidation and excitement. The doors opened to a black, dusty abyss. 

“How-how did you know to do that?” Waverly stammered. 

“I had another dream.” Nicole said. “That woman, or shadow - with the blue eyes - told me.”


	9. Afuna

In the paleness of dawn, Waverly and Nicole gazed at the black abyss ahead of them. The doors had opened, but not completely, and Waverly was able to salvage the gold disc. 

“It’s a key.” Waverly said, her eyes bright with intrigue. “So what happened in this dream again, babe?” 

“ I was laying on the jungle floor. Alone. I might have been asleep.” Nicole recalled. “Lizards were running all over me and I woke up. That’s when I noticed, across from me, creeping through the vines was this shadow. Normally, I would be scared, but in the dream I wasn’t. I didn’t feel threatened at all. I kept trying to figure out if the shadow was an animal, or a person, but between all the vegetation I couldn’t tell. It just sat there and watched me with glowing, blue eyes.” 

“The jaguars on the doors had blue eyes.” Waverly said quickly. 

“Yeah, I saw that too.” Nicole said, kind of freaked out by all this. “I don’t know what it means. Maybe what spoke to me was a jaguar? ” 

“Maybe” Waverly said. It all seemed so surreal. 

“How did I understand a jaguar though?” Nicole said, confused. 

“I’m not sure.” Waverly commented. “And why did it want you to open these doors?” Waverly wondered. 

“I don’t know.” Nicole said, trying to remember if anything else happened in the dream. 

“Well there’s only one way to find out.” Waverly said, facing the dark threshold with determination. 

Upon entering through the doorway, they took out their flashlights. Nicole’s flickered a couple times.

“Shit.” She said, knocking the flashlight with the heel of her hand. “My battery is dying.” 

Their lights lit up the walls around them. They seemed to be in a corridor constructed of plain, basalt bricks. Soon, the door they had entered through shrank to a small square of pale light behind them. The morning, jungle noises faded and the echoes of their boots on dark stone amplified. Eventually, the corridor spilled into a large, plain room. At the far end was a towering jaguar statue, whose rounded ears almost reached the ceiling. 

“This must have been a prayer space.” Waverly said, sweeping her pale light across the empty floor where, hundreds of years ago, people must have gathered to pray. 

They approached the giant cat. It was fashioned in the same way as the smaller statues they had seen: roughly-hewn and crudely chiseled out of a block of graying basalt. But where the previous statues’ eye sockets were empty, the ones of this statue were filled with pale, blue gems. 

“Sapphires.” Waverly shone her light into them, making the jewel facets glisten. 

“Waverly, look at this.” Nicole said, she was examining the idol’s flank. Waverly came around for a look. Large, shallow craters marked the jaguar’s spots but they were filled with….

“Gold leaf!” Waverly said, looking at the thin, flaking layer of gold that had been pressed ages ago into these shallow spaces. 

At the jaguar’s feet, sat a number of small bowls. Waverly knelt and plucked a small, white object from the nearest bowl. 

“I think this is bone.” Waverly guessed. 

“From what?” Nicole said. 

“Not sure. This is where Rivas would have been helpful.” Waverly said. “I don’t think it’s human though.” 

They looked around at the other bowls; two had remnants of dried and decayed plant material but another had more bones. Nicole held the bowl full of bones as Waverly rooted through them. She couldn’t identify any of them. She gave up and searched the floor around the statue. 

“Well, I don’t see any evidence of sacrificial offerings here. There’s no blood stains or remnants of ash anywhere.” 

“What about this stuff in these bowls.” Nicole picked up a bowl of what looked like burnt grass and wrinkled her nose.Waverly shared a sniff. 

“Not sure. Man, the tests we could run if we had equipment.” She stamped her foot in aggravation. 

They noticed tall torches sitting against the wall behind the statue. On the ground next to them were large urns. The oil of course was non-existent; only dried, dusty remnants of the substance lied plastered to the inside. Scanning the room for the second time, they saw that there were a handful of sconces on every wall. Large oil urns marked each corner of the room. They investigated each one, hoping for oil, but had no luck. 

“Too bad.” Waverly remarked. 

There were two other doorways in this room. One to the right of the statue and one to the left. They cautiously meandered through the one on the right. It was a smaller room with a bunch of bowls and urns stacked to one side.

“Storage?” Nicole asked, leaning over the pile of empty bowls. 

“Most likely.” Waverly said. 

They left that room and returned to the main prayer space. They walked past the jaguar idol, it’s shimmering, sapphire eyes seeming to watch them as they passed. Carefully, they entered through the door on the left. This room was bigger than the storage room and was lined with what looked like stone beds. A long stone table on the back wall held two stone lanterns, what Waverly deemed a large wash basin, and several mini jaguar statues. 

“This must be where the priests slept.” Waverly said. 

“Austere.” Nicole commented, thinking how uncomfortable is must have been to sleep on a stone bed. 

They didn’t see any other doorways. “Is this it?” Nicole said, looking around.

“I guess so.” Waverly said, taking in the room again with a wave of her flashlight. “Wait, what’s that?” 

Something had caught her eye. On the wall to the right, next to the bed and adjacent to one of the back corners of the room, was a faint, carved outline of a jaguar. 

“It looks like someone started making this relief but never finished.” Waverly traced some of the lines with her fingers. “But look here!” 

She indicated the cat’s left paw. It was the only part of the drawing that protruded out into three dimensional space. Waverly tucked her fingers under the paw and felt a small groove. “Nicole, the key!” She said excitedly. 

Nicole slipped off her pack and retrieved the polished gold and quartz disc from one of the zippered pockets. She handed it to Waverly. Waverly slipped the stone under the extended band of jaguar toes. The stone slid into place perfectly. A moment later, the unfinished jaguar relief began to tremble. The women stepped back as the wall began to move and glide noisily downwards into the floor. Waverly saw where this was going and quickly grabbed the disc before the ground ate it up. She passed it to Nicole. Nicole stowed it away with the others. 

“Good thinking.” 

Slowly, the outline disappeared, along with a door-sized portion of wall; paws, chest, nose, ears all sunk into the floor until a darkened doorway was all that stood before them. They shone their lights down what looked like another stone brick corridor. Unlit stone lanterns hung from the ceiling. Waverly stepped over the threshold, a mixture of apprehension and excitement alive in her eyes. Nicole cautiously followed. On either side of the dark hallway were panels decorated with reliefs. Waverly examined the first one on the right closely. It depicted a group of people kneeling and holding bowls over their heads, in what looked like the prayer space they had just walked through. A large jaguar, the largest figure on the scene, faced the bent humans with a placid look on its face and with sunlight exuding from its head. 

Nicole was investigating the one on the left, it was very similar: humans prostrated before a massive cat. They perused these works of art as they descended down the hallway. The panels were all images depicting naked humans praying and carrying tribute. Every once in awhile a panel would feature what Waverly - judging from their robe-like garments - deemed as priests standing before the congregation or kneeling beneath a jaguar’s raised paw. 

They continued down the hallway, darkness pressing close behind them. Suddenly, Nicole had a peculiar feeling of being watched. She turned swiftly and cleared the darkness away with her light. Nothing. After passing a few more panels, Waverly stopped. 

“Look, this one is different!” Waverly said, shining her light on a panel to her right. Nicole joined her. This one portrayed what appeared to be a woman with long, flowing hair, armed with a spear, facing a tall, smoking mountain. 

“The volcano.” Waverly exhaled, fully engrossed with this find. 

The woman also held a shield. Nine circles floated in the blank space above the woman’s head. 

“She looks like some kind of warrior.” Nicole said. 

“She does. She could be a goddess.” Waverly remarked, astonishment in her voice. 

“Do you think these are planets?” Nicole questioned, touching the raised stone circles. 

“They could be.” Waverly answered, her fingers overlapping Nicole’s. Little jolts of electricity. 

Suddenly, a sound far ahead of them made them jump. They sent light down the corridor but there was nothing there. 

“What was that?” Nicole said, momentarily frozen. The feeling of being watched haunting her once more. 

“I don’t know.” Waverly said, catching the feeling. 

They stood as still as the stone around them. Ears straining for the faintest sound, eyes desperately searching for any sign of movement. Suddenly, both of their flashlights stuttered and went out. Darkness immediately swallowed them up. 

“What the -” Waverly said, perplexed. 

She shook her light and knocked it with the heel of her hand, trying to get it to come back on. The rattle of the batteries echoed up and down the hallway. A low growl after the echo made her stop. 

“Did you hear that?” Waverly said, forgetting about the flashlight. 

“Yeah.” Nicole swallowed hard. She crept in front of Waverly, machete drawn, ready to protect her from whatever lie ahead. 

Something growled again, this time closer. Nicole could feel Waverly’s heart pounding against her back. She thought her own heart would bounce out of her chest as well. No matter how hard they squinted into the darkness ahead, they could see nothing. But then, those all too familiar blue eyes, appeared a good distance down the hallway. The orb-like eyes quivered low to the ground, as if whoever owned them sat crouched and ready to pounce. 

“The eyes.” Nicole whispered. “From my dream.” 

As they eyes drew closer, growling turned into low grumbling...or was it purring? Then, the eyes stopped, still a safe distance away from the crouched women, and sat for what felt like minutes. Nicole and Waverly weren’t sure how to react, they remained defensive, ready to strike if needed. The unmoving, blue eyes were brilliant and, in a strange way, inviting. Like the quartz veins in the stones, the eyes shimmered with their own light. Nicole and Waverly felt their guard dropping, enchanted by the mesmerizing, azure, almond shaped orbs that floated before them. 

Suddenly, a loud snapping sound broke their trance and before they could react a strong, icy wind swept over them. Instinctively, Nicole wrapped Waverly up in her arms. When the air subsided, they opened their eyes and were surrounded with warm orange light. The once empty, overhead lamps were now brimming with bright flames. And in front of them was a sight that caused them to stagger backward in complete vexation. 

Standing before them was a tall, muscular woman. Her skin was deeply tanned. Her hair was coal black and flowed over broad, athletic shoulders. She wore a half shirt of what looked like pale fish scales, tied together to resemble chain mail. While the scaled shirt covered her breasts, it left her dark, toned abdomen exposed to the elements. A skirt of the same shimmering scales hung loosely on her hip bones, falling in length to her toned thigh. Her whole body seemed to bristle with athletic energy. Her face was dark featured and the almond-shaped eyes that shone blue now appeared human. Waverly and Nicole were awed and dumbfounded The woman stared at them sternly. 

The woman then said something in a deep, sultry voice in a language neither of them understood. Waverly mentally ran through her catalog of languages she knew but as she did so, a female voice spoke in her head. “Follow me.” 

Waverly turned to Nicole. “Did you understand what she said?” 

Nicole nodded.

Intrigued, they began to follow the woman. They were more terrified of what might happen if they didn’t. 

Within minutes they entered into a dark room. The woman snapped her fingers and all the torches, sconces, and lamps in the room filled with fire. A large stone throne, caked in gold leaf, and decorated with carvings of plants and animals sat in the middle of the room. 

The woman seated herself casually on the golden chair, slipping one of her legs over the chair arm while resting her back on the other. A long, buff arm reached down beside her and grabbed what looked like a plum out of a basket. 

The woman waved her hand over the fruit, “Please take some.” She said in her language, the English translation hitting the speech centers of Nicole’s and Waverly’s brains a moment later. 

The doctor and archaeologist didn’t move. The woman considered them thoughtfully, chewing some plum. 

“Wh-who are you?” Waverly ventured after a moment of uncomfortable staring.

“I am Afuna.” The woman said, and took another bite of soft-fleshed fruit. 

Another tense moment passed. 

The seated woman finished the plum and flicked its core into a nearby lamp. The coals jumped with fierce light. Then she rose, her features hardening, lips frowning. With purpose she approached Waverly and Nicole. She crossed her arms across her shimmering chest. 

“ I am Afuna.” She repeated, “Goddess of Life.”


	10. The Curse of Dwi Bai

“Don’t be frightened.” The goddess’s countenance softened and a warm smile spread across her lips, “I’m only a demigoddess.” She laughed softly as she sauntered back toward her throne. 

Waverly and Nicole didn’t move a muscle, so Afuna continued. “I was born of Gela, Goddess of Islands. My father was Riwan, first chieftain of Pongo.” 

As Afuna took a seat she squinted at the two baffled women with curiosity. 

“What are you called?” Afuna asked, picking up another plum from her basket and taking a bite. 

“Wa- Waverly Earp.” 

“Waverly Earp.” Afuna said in her deep, commanding voice. “And you are?” Afuna asked looking at Nicole. 

“Nicole-Nicole Haught.” 

“Nicole Haught.” Afuna said, examining her half eaten plum thoughtfully. “Ah, yes.” She smiled. “The one whose dreams I’ve seen.” She stared at Nicole with hungry, almond eyes. 

“Why-Why were you in my dreams?” Nicole stammered. 

“Because you carry the stone keys.” Afuna said. 

Waverly and Nicole exchanged quick glances. 

“Yes.” Afuna said, amused. “I know you have more than one. Tell me, Waverly Earp and Nicole Haught, what are you doing here on this island?” 

That was when Waverly and Nicole explained themselves, describing the expedition and rehashing the frightful crash. Afuna was less interested in planes and research and more interested in their professions and the lives of the other expedition members. 

“I am sorry for your losses.” Afuna said. The three sat in silence, each quietly grieving for lives now gone. Afuna then broke the silence. 

“So you, Waverly Earp, are a historian. And you, Nicole Haught, a healer.“Follow me.” 

Afuna rose from her seat, fish scales shimmering, and left to somewhere in the back of the room. Despite their awe and fear, Waverly and Nicole found themselves following after her. Afuna led them to a corridor which she made jump with light with a snap of a finger, but this time without the harrowing gust of wind that nearly knocked them off their feet. The hall was filled with more stone reliefs carvings. They walked down the hallway slowly, admiring the artwork and listening to Afuna explain the island’s history. 

“Before the First Dawn, Munai created the universe and all that now resides in it. She created the islands, the continents, the moon, the stars, the sea, the mountains, the plants, the animals, and the humans. From water and sand, she created Gela, the Island Goddess. Gela watched over the living beings of the islands. Upon meeting the first chieftain of Pongo, the Goddess of Islands fell in love, and together they bore me.” 

Afuna stopped in front of a panel depicting a human man in a flowing headdress holding a baby swaddled in cloth. Above the father and child, a floating, flowery looking woman looked down upon them. 

“As I grew, I found that I had an aptitude for healing and sustaining life. If a wheat crop blighted, I could heal the stalks with a whispered word. If a little one had a fever, I could cool it with a touch of my hand. My village began worshipping me as a goddess because of this ability.” 

She showed them a panel of the people bowing before a human-jaguar hybrid; exactly half of the being’s body appeared human and the other portion looked like the fearsome jungle cat Waverly and Nicole had been seeing around the island. The human arm of the creature carried a shield. 

“I protected the island from harm for thousands of generations and thousands of years. I cured plagues, I sustained crops, I supported new mothers in childbirth. We were thriving. That’s until Kanai and Dwi Bai ended it all.” She frowned and sadly looked down at the ground.

“Kanai?” Waverly asked. 

“Dwi Bai?” Nicole inquired. 

Afuna crossed over the hallway and showed them a wall carving of a giant lizard climbing out of an exploding volcano. 

“Kanai. The volcano god.” Afuna demonstrated. 

“We saw a depiction awhile ago of that same lizard fighting a jaguar. So Kanai must be the lizard and you must be the jaguar.” Waverly exhaled. 

“Yes.” Afuna said, her eyes flashing blue and cat-like for a moment. 

“Kanai erupts once every thousand years. In his brief wakefulness he causes havoc and devastation. However, I have always been able to counteract it. I have always been able to balance the life with the death. But when Dwi Bai got involved, everything changed. 

In an angry burst, she seemed to briefly change. It was as quick as a blink of an eye, as sudden as a glitch, but Waverly and Nicole saw it. In that second of anger, Afuna had transformed into a cat and with a swipe of her hand - or was it a clawed paw? - she slashed the relief of Kanai. Waverly and Nicole jumped but before they could reconcile their feelings, the moment was over. Afuna was human again and the gray, stone wall was deeply gashed. 

“ Dwi Bai was a shaman. A healer like you, Nicole Haught. But of much weaker heart.” Afuna said. Nicole reddened slightly at the compliment. 

“He was skilled at making medicines and treating ailments but he was never satisfied with this skill. He wanted my powers. He wanted to be seen as a god. He was angry with me for this. I always had appreciated the help of human healers. I viewed them as allies. We all worked and contributed in our own way to keep the civilization young, healthy, and thriving but because of pride and ego, he turned to dark magic. He strove to undo me.” 

She turned suddenly and walked down an adjacent hallway so quickly Waverly and Nicole had to jog to keep up. Turning a corner she entered a small room. A circle of nine, free standing torches marked the center of the room. Afuna aggressively snapped her fingers and a plume of fire encased the torches in flame. Inside this ring of light were five, small craters, laid out in a square formation - one in each corner and one in the middle. 

“I need the stone keys, please.” She held out her hand toward Nicole. Without question, Nicole quickly fumbled through her pack and gave Afuna the three, strange, polished stone discs. 

Afuna entered the circle of flame, her clothes softly reflecting the torchlight, causing her to dazzle brightly with every movement. She studied the stones and the divots carefully. 

“I’m guessing these are more than just keys.” Waverly said under her breath. 

“You are correct, Waverly Earp.” Afuna’s voice boomed. She placed the jade and quartz stone the women had found near the valley stream in one of the corner craters. Once in place, the disc seemed to illuminate with eternal light, the quartz veins glowing a fierce and sparkly white. Afuna smiled with pleasure. 

“These stones were created by Munai and the other gods at the beginning of time. They were given to my mother Gela who then bestowed them to me when I became of age.” Afuna knelt now, examining the other stones and trying to find their corresponding divots. She looked like a scientist in the field. 

“I knew they weren’t natural rock.” Waverly said quietly. 

“No, they are not. Munai had her ancient stonemasons craft these stones from several rocks and minerals about the universe. Ancient power flows through the veins you see.” She slipped the basalt and quartz stone into another corner, across from the jade one. It fit into place and shone with a mystical luster. 

“What are they for?” Nicole asked. 

“Individually, they are keys to my temple. But together,” Her face brightened with excitement and promise, torchlight quivering on her dark skin, “together, they have the potential to restore life!” 

Waverly and Nicole were both stunned and confused. Afuna put the gold and quartz stone, the one used to open the temple doors, into the middle crater. When it activated, the disc seemed to glitter brighter than the rest. 

“There.” She said, rising slowly and smiling at her work. “Three accounted for. Two still lost.” 

“Why are they lost?” Waverly inquired. 

“I will show you.” Afuna replied and exited the room in a rush. 

They were reluctant to leave the glowing stones, but they did so at her beckoning. 

“Best not to linger with them too long.” She advised. 

They followed her out. She led them down a dark hallway - not bothering to light it up - then with a flick of her hand she opened a door that led to the outside. The most peculiar thing happened once Afuna made contact with the outside vegetation. With every step she took, new vegetation sprung forth after her. Waverly and Nicole had to dart out of the way and tread lightly as flowers of every color shot up from the ground in front of them. This was the strangest thing they had ever seen. In a short amount of time, Afuna halted at a cliff’s edge. 

“Here.” Afuna announced. “This is what’s left of my village.” She extended her arm out over the valley. 

Peering down, Waverly and Nicole gasped. Below them was a deep valley. Instead of vegetation, it’s floor consisted of black, volcanic rock that had flowed over the far edge of the valley. The more jarring sight, however, was the dozens of protrusions jutting upward out of the dried lava. 

“Those aren’t natural volcanic formations.” Waverly said, shielding her eyes from the sun. 

“No, they are not.” Afuna agreed. “Come closer.” 

She led them down a rocky stair that had been carved into the side of the valley. 

“Villagers use to take this stair to the temple.” Afuna commented. 

They made it to the floor quickly and soon were standing on dead rock among the odd configurations. Waverly slowly circled the nearest one. It was about her height and looked like a two-branched, leafless tree - arms on either side reaching up and out. Her hand stretched out to feel the rock. 

“Please do not touch them.” Afuna commanded. 

Waverly slowly retracted her hand. The trio strolled through the valley, winding between the formations; some were tree-like, some were large, some small, some square. 

“This is what Dwi Bai and Kanai did a thousand years ago.” Afuna said, crossing her arms as she meandered through what was once a thriving village. “When Dwi Bai began practicing black magic, he also began the Cult of Kanai. It was an awful cult that permitted human sacrifice. He would try to bring people back from the dead, but he didn’t have my power so the people would come back crippled or maimed. They would be worse off then if they were living. With Dwi Bai’s shrewd voice in his ear, Kanai was convinced that true power lay in destruction. Kanai shared his power with Dwi Bai and then erupted more fiercely than ever before. The eruption was also different than before. The lava that flowed from the mountain and into this valley was not natural. It was tainted with the shaman’s magic. I could not stop it with sword and shield as I was accustomed to doing in the past.” 

Afuna’s voice shook and Waverly thought she saw a tear in the goddess’s eye. 

“ After it happened, I rushed to the mountain to confront Dwi Bai. I fought him on the mountaintop and buried the fool deep within the volcano. I barely escaped. Before he died, he said something to me, something I didn’t understand until I returned to the temple. But I should have.” 

Waverly was listening but she couldn’t stop trying to make out what these strange, rock formations were. Then, circling around one to view the back, she cried out in horror. The others turned and Nicole rushed to her side. 

The formation was as tall as Waverly and about as wide. Two, arm-length extensions sprouted from either side. Examined closely, Nicole could make out what looked like legs cinched together. A wailing expression seemed to rest right beneath the rock. “This is a person!” Waverly exclaimed. 

“Yes.” Afuna said calmly. “That was Dwi Bai’s curse. This whole village is exactly as it was before. Instead of wiping them out, he trapped my people in rock. I have no power here.” 

“But what about the stones? Can’t they bring the people back?” Nicole asked. 

Afuna smiled. “They can, fortunately. But we need all of them. The thing Dwi Bai said to me, the statement I didn’t understand until I rushed back to the temple and witnessed the empty stone slots was: ‘I hid them’.” 

“But we found these just laying around.” Nicole mentioned. 

“Yes. They are coming out of hiding.” Afuna said. 

“Why?” Waverly asked. 

“Because Kanai is gaining power again. His energy warms the earth. His thousand year sleep is coming to an end.” Afuna was grinning sort of maniacally at the thought of revenge. “Dwi Bai thought he was, how do you say it? Adding salt to the wound by burying the stones deep within the earth. But now, after one thousand years, the stones are re-emerging. The fool!” 

She sprinted back up the stairs. Waverly and Nicole followed. 

“So the volcano is going to erupt?” Nicole said with concern. Waverly grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight came over and held her hand. 

“Yes. We need to find the stones before that happens. Before Kanai buries them under his molten wrath.” 

“How much time do we have?” Waverly said. 

“Not much.” Afuna turned and glowered over the valley at the dark volcano in the distance.


	11. The Second Temple

They left the valley. The afternoon was slowly declining into evening. Afuna led the explorers up and out of the cursed valley, over a well-wooded ridge, and down into a tree-lined dell. Smaller trees bordered the larger ones and upon closer inspection of them, Dr. Haught made a happy exclamation. 

“Tropic Macadamias!” 

She approached a nearby tree and gently yanked what looked like a beige golf ball from one of the limbs. “This variety is larger than the American one and the outer shell is softer so it’s easier to break open.” 

She whacked the nut on the solid trunk of one of the bigger trees. A crack resulted and using her fingers, Nicole easily pried open what would be a delicious snack. Breaking off a piece of the inner seed, she considered it quickly and then popped it into her mouth. 

“Mmm, it’s delicious.” She smiled. “Here, try some, Waves.” She fractured off another piece and passed it to the geologist. 

Waverly let the nutty flavor and creamy texture penetrate her taste buds . “Mmm, it is good.” She beamed at Nicole. 

“Would you like some, Afuna?” Nicole offered. 

“I am content.” Afuna replied and approached the macadamia grove. “Thank you.” 

“These are good sources of protein and fat too. These others don’t look ripe though.” Nicole peered between the plant’s leafy boughs and observed multiple, unripe, green golf ball sized nuts. 

Afuna reached into the tree branches and touched the central trunk with gentle fingertips. The green nuts quickly changed to deep brown. 

“Very good, Nicole Haught. They are ripe now.” Afuna turned to grin at her. 

Waverly and Nicole were astonished. 

“Now let us discuss the remaining stone dics.” Afuna said, walking to the middle of the open glade. She swept her hand over a portion of short grass and a bed of ferns and blue flowers jumped up from the ground. Close by she did the same thing, creating a springy, fern seat for herself. 

Still stunned, Waverly and Nicole came over and took a seat in the soft vegetation. Waverly and Nicole noticed that a medium-sized stream ran behind Afuna, emptying into a deep pool on the dell’s further side. Once settled in their places, Afuna spoke. 

“So, where did you find the stones?” Afuna asked. 

“We found the gold one on the bridge outside the temple. It was lodged in the side of a crumbling portion of the wall.” 

“Interesting.” Afuna responded. 

“The jade one we found just laying in a stream.” Waverly continued. 

“And the black one?” Afuna questioned. 

“We actually found that one on the other island.” Waverly answered. 

“Really?” Afuna said with slight surprise. 

“I found it on the beach facing Pongo. It was just laying in the sand.” Waverly said.

“Does this mean that the two remaining stones could be on other islands?” Nicole inquired with some concern. 

“Yes. But it is unlikely. Bolai use to be connected to Pongo back in Dwi Bai’s time. Access there was easy. Access to the other islands was not. Our people’s canoes were made for fishing the reefs, not for traveling to other islands.” Afuna responded. She quickly became lost in thought; her deep eyes staring off into the trees. 

“So, the stones are pretty easily found. It’s just locating them that's difficult. This island is massive, I almost can’t believe we found the ones we did.” Waverly commented. 

“So, how are we going to find the others?” Nicole asked. 

“Not sure. It doesn’t help that the stones could be on the other island.” Waverly responded, her wheels starting to turn again. 

“I will take care of that.” Afuna rose, eyes still in the trees. Waverly and Nicole looked up at the towering goddess. 

“H-how?” Nicole fumbled, feeling small in Afuna’s tall presence. 

“I will travel to Bolai.” Afuna said. 

Waverly and Nicole got to their feet. 

“Well, our raft may still be on the-” Nicole began to explain. 

“No need. But thank you, Nicole Haught. I will swim.” Afuna said simply and grinned at the prospect. 

“S-swim?” Nicole stammered again. 

“Yes. It’s been awhile since I’ve felt the sea on my fur.” She flashed a toothy grin and her eyes flickered blue. 

Waverly and Nicole were speechless. Afuna laughed. 

“I will return in three days time. Do not worry, stay strong. Look to the trees for fruit and the streams for fish. There is another temple on the island, dedicated to Kanai. I would start the search there.” Afuna could see the fear surfacing in Nicole’s dark eyes. “Fear not, Nicole Haught, for the cult of Kanai died long ago. Dwi Bai is dead and Kanai is asleep.” 

Nicole exhaled towards the ground. Afuna approached them both. “I thank you for this help.” She bowed her head in their direction and then walked passed them, heading for the jungle. 

“Remember,” She said, turning toward them before exiting the glade. “I will return in three days. May you have good fortune.” Then she disappeared into the jungle. 

The jungle was thick and the light was dissipating into night but Waverly and Nicole swore they saw Afuna’s form drop low and cat-like before it vanished amongst the trees. They imagined a large, mystical, blue-eyed jungle cat paddling confidently across the rolling ocean. 

Waverly built a fire while Nicole pitched the tent. They were exhausted when they finally sat down with cans of tuna and handfuls of tropic macadamias. Waverly snuggled under Nicole’s arm as they rested in front of the fire. Night had fallen and the stars were appearing overhead. 

“This is wild.” Waverly said, tiredly. 

“It is.” Nicole said, pondering their situation in near disbelief. “I’ve never met a goddess before.” 

Waverly giggled. “Neither have I.” 

They sat quietly. 

“It’s sad what happened on this island.” Waverly said. 

“It is.” Nicole said. She pulled Waverly in close. “But there’s hope.” Waverly smiled and sank into Nicole. 

They sat in front of the warm fire as night wore on, thinking about all that had transpired. The next morning, Waverly awoke to birds chirping and the smell of roasting fish. She opened her eyes and realized she was in the tent. Climbing out of it, she saw Nicole tending to small, crispy looking fish that were skewered on twigs in front of the fire. 

“Good morning!” Nicole said happily when she saw that amazing woman climb out of the tent. 

Waverly smiled. “Good Morning. Is this your famous salmon?” Waverly walked over to Nicole and placed a loving hand on the doctor’s shoulder. 

“Not quite but it will have to do.” She said as she rotated the sticks so the back sides of the fish would cook.

“Where did you get those fish?” Waverly asked. 

“Over there in the pond.” Nicole referenced the pool of water at the back of the glade. “It’s pretty deep and there’s alot of fish there.” 

“Well, they smell delicious.” Waverly said, moving to a spot nearby where there was more soil than grass. She began drawing lines in the dirt with a broken stick. 

“What are you doing?” Nicole asked, looking over. 

“Well, I’m thinking about the stones. Their distribution seems random, but I’m hoping it’s not.” Waverly continued drawing lines. 

Nicole left the fish to crisp and joined Waverly. The archaeologist had copied the pattern in the stone room - four discs in each corner of a square and one in the middle. 

“Ok, so in that room with the torches, the stone slots were arranged in a pattern like this.” Waverly indicated the circles in the sand. “Afuna put the gold one in the center.” 

With her stick, Waverly dashed a letter G in the center circle of her drawing. “Then she put the basalt one here,” Waverly wrote a B in one of the corner circles. “And the jade one here.” She scribbled a letter J in the one across from the letter B. 

“I was thinking maybe this could be a map. So, we found the gold one near the temple, the gold one opened the temple, and the temple may be at the center of the island. I don’t know that for sure, but for the sake of this demonstration, let’s say it is.” Waverly explained. “Then that would mean, according to where Afuna placed the basalt disc, Bolai is over here.” Waverly pointed to where Afuna had left to the sea the night before, “And the stream, geez, I don’t really remember where that was, but, it would be over there somewhere.” She pointed toward the thicket of macadamia trees. 

“If there was one by the temple of Kanai, which I figure might be near the volcano, then it would go here.” She indicated an empty spot. “And the last slot,” she looked toward the edge of the dell. “I have no idea.” She stood up and brushed her hands together. 

“It’s a good theory babe.” Nicole said, studying the lines in the dirt. 

“I don’t know if it will amount to anything.” Waverly sighed, standing up and dusting the reluctant soil off on her shorts, “But it’s a starting place.” 

Nicole pulled her into a one armed hug and kissed her. 

“Let’s eat some breakfast.” She smiled when they parted. They walked back to the fire. Then Nicole picked up a skewer and handed one to Waverly. 

“I call this masterpiece...roasted fish on a stick.” Nicole announced. 

“It looks lovely.” Waverly laughed. 

“I don’t know if it will taste lovely but it’s at least it’s fresh. Mind the bones.” 

Nicole sat down next to Waverly and they bit into the toasted fish. The meat was incredibly fishy but also juicy and succulent. 

“It’s pretty fishy.” Waverly considered aloud while tasting the meat. “But it’s good. And well cooked. ” She added with a smile. 

“Thanks. ” Nicole said, biting into her meal and blushing slightly at the compliment. “It’s not what I would normally cook for breakfast but...” 

“What would you normally make for breakfast?” Waverly asked, fantasizing about being in her apartment, or Nicole’s, and having this sexy doctor cook for her. 

“I don’t know. Definitely something more breakfasty than fish?” Nicole laughed. “I really like chicken and waffles.” 

“Chicken and waffles?” Waverly said in a surprised tone. 

“You've never had it? It’s the best.” Nicole said. “Do you like fried chicken?” 

“Yes.” 

“Do you like waffles?” 

“Yes.” 

“Then you are a fine candidate for chicken and waffles.” Nicole said. She thought Waverly was a fine candidate for anything. 

Waverly laughed. “I would be willing to try it. Maybe you could make it for me one day.” Waverly winked. 

Nicole, finished with her fish skewer, drop the remains, stick and all, into the fire and got in Waverly's ear. 

“I most certainly would love that.” Nicole whispered. She began to passionately kiss her neck. 

Waverly enjoyed this and discarded her nearly picked through meal into the fire as well. She met Nicole’s lips with hers and they made post-breakfast love. Afterwards, in good spirits, they packed up and left the dell. 

They returned to the valley village. Their hearts sank as they looked upon the black statues that imprisoned Afuna’s people. 

“If we follow the old lava flow from here, we will reach the volcano and hopefully this temple of Kanai.” Waverly pointed to the rivers of black igneous rocks that had long ago ravaged everything in sight, leaving thickets of old trees here and there and scants of new growth. 

“So, what about this volcano? Is it really going to erupt soon?” Nicole asked, as they picked their way along the tar-like ground. 

“I’m not sure. From my observations, the volcano looks dormant and there haven’t been any warning signs, like smoke or earthquakes. But Afuna says Kanai it waking up. And he is the volcano god so maybe a eruption is in the near future.” 

“So even if we find all these stones and break the curse, the volcano, or Kanai, or whoever, could erupt and destroy the whole island?” Nicole asked. 

“Maybe. But it sounded like the eruption that took out the village was a mega eruption backed by dark magic. Judging by the size of the volcano and the distance from the village, this side of the island should be safe. Especially since, Dwi Bai isn't a concern anymore.” Waverly said. 

“We shouldn’t spend too long near the volcano.” Nicole said. 

“Yeah, I agree. Let’s hope it doesn’t take too long to explore the area.” Waverly said. 

The continued walking. Several times they happened upon patches of ground that were completely devoid of trees. And eventually, the trees and vegetation disappeared altogether, and they were left strolling through a hard, dark, and almost alien wasteland. Black igneous hills rose and fell around them. No birds chirped, no bugs buzzed, and no lizards crept. It was as if life had halted here. Looking to the horizon, they could see the volcano looming closer but still several miles away. Waverly squinted at the black flute of rock noting that she could see no smoke or lava. They trudged toward the mountain, the sun beat high overhead. Soon, however, clouds moved in which was a nice break from the heat but made their bleak surroundings feel even bleaker. 

By late afternoon they reached two, large, lizards statues standing parallel to one another with a wide space in between. They towered over the women. 

“Komodo Dragons.” Waverly confirmed, observing the long snouts, spineless backs, and thick tails of the stone reptiles. 

“They’re huge.” Nicole commented. 

The dragons were carved from gray basalt and were dull in color and plain in texture. Rudimentary eyes studded the sides of the heads. 

“I wonder if this is an gateway to something. Maybe the temple is nearby.” Waverly said while admiring the statues. 

They scanned the area around the statues closely, searching for a stone disc. When they found nothing, they walked in between the monuments and continued on their journey. Shorty, they stopped in their tracks. Up ahead, a large square building sat in a dried lava field. 

“The temple of Kanai.” Nicole exhaled. 

They made for it quickly, leaping down a black hill and skipping across igneous boulders. When they approached the building they noticed that it was plain and undecorated on the outside. They followed it around looking for it’s entry. They found it but were astonished. 

“It’s already open.” Waverly said, taken aback. 

Sure enough, standing in front of them was a gaping doorway bordered by smaller, fierce looking lizard statues. Waverly approached the door cautiously and searched it’s sides. 

“Aha.” She said, and squeezed behind the lizard statue on the right. “The door opens like the one at Afuna’s temple. There should be a space for a key here!” 

Nicole squeezed by the statue too for a better look. 

“See here is a disc shape, where the key goes.” Waverly pointed to a crater in the exposed portion of door. 

“But there's no disc. It’s missing.” Nicole said. 

“I know. That’s odd.” Waverly said. She looked around her feet then returned her attention to the door. “It looks like there is a relief carved on this door but I can’t figure out what it is. Not enough of it is exposed.” 

Nicole checked out the area behind the other statue and found nothing. 

They met at the open doorway. 

“Well, are you ready?” Nicole said, handing a flashlight to Waverly with a smile. 

Waverly exhaled with a smile. “Let’s do this.” 

They entered the temple and disappeared into the darkness.


	12. The Eye of the Chameleon

So there it was - the fourth stone - laying undisturbed at the bottom of a large, stone well in the equivalent of what would have been the stone key room in Afuna’s temple. 

“Well, there it is.” Waverly said, defeat in her voice. 

“Why does the water look like that?” Nicole asked, scrunching up her brow at the translucent, milky blue water. 

“Silicic acid and sulfur.” Waverly said, taking off her backpack. “ It should just be a superficial layer.” Waverly began unlacing her boots. 

“What are you doing?” Nicole turned and asked, however she could already guess the answer. 

“I’m going to get the key.” Waverly answered nonchalantly, pulling off a boot and accompanying sock. 

“What? Is that safe?” Nicole asked. 

“I mean, the silicic acid and sulfur won’t do hurt me, the water isn’t scalding, should be a walk in the park.” 

“ Can you dive that deep?” Nicole asked. 

Waverly faced Nicole with a smile. “ You’re cute.” 

She kissed Nicole then confidently approached the edge of the well with bare feet. 

She swung her legs over the side and dipped her ankles into the water. 

“Ooo. It’s like a jacuzzi.” She giggled at Nicole. 

Waverly slowly lowered herself down. She dipped herself all the under and then came back up, wiping water out of her eyes. 

“It’s clear beneath, just as I suspected.” Waverly grinned. 

“Be careful.” Nicole said. 

“I will.” Waverly blew her a kiss and then with a gasping breath she went under. 

Using long, strong arm strokes, Waverly propelled herself downwards. Nicole anxiously watched from above, tracking the archaeologist’s shadowy form until it was masked from view by the clouded surface water.

“Stupid acid and sulfur.” Nicole muttered and anxiously began to pace, eyes not moving from the well’s opening. 

It didn’t take long for Waverly to reach the bottom. She was in a good place she thought. Plenty of air left in her lungs. She inspected the disc. From the surface, the stone had looked a steely gray color but now closer, she could spot streaks of charcoal and the shiny veins of quartz; those magical lines that supposedly held ancient power. Was it Gneiss? Some composition of granite? She was uncertain but decided to take this discussion up once she returned to the surface. Extending her right arm she reached for the disc, gently wrapping her long fingers around it. She pulled. The stone didn’t budge. Mildly surprised, Waverly tried again, this time yanking the rock significantly harder. This time it came loose. But before she had time to celebrate this victory, a sudden loud, almost mechanical, sound encompassed the water around her. Waverly whirled around, trying to place the noise. Then she heard muffled screams of Nicole above her. 

“Waverly! Waverly!” Nicole yelled, her voice dampening significantly as it struggled through the water. 

Waverly jerked her head upward and nearly choked on the last of her oxygen. 

The opening of the well was closing. A large stone slab issued out of the right side and was slowly making its way across. She was going to be sealed in! 

Waverly quickly tucked the stone key into her belt and then kicked off the floor, launching herself several feet upwards through the water. She began swimming, pumping her legs and arms frantically, her panicked face looking upward and toward the light. 

Meanwhile, on the surface, A panicked Nicole was trying to stop the well from clsoing. First, she tried using her hands. But that of course was futile. The slab moved slowly and determinedly; driven by some physical mechanism - or ancient magic? - that was stronger than Nicole. The slab was halfway across the top of the well now. 

“Shit!” Nicole exclaimed and wildly unsheathed her machete. She stuck it lengthwise in the open space, it’s pointy end slightly etching itself into the ancient rock and its handle securing itself against the well wall. 

“Yes!” Nicole said. The machete had seemed to stop the slab momentarily but in the next instant the pressure on the knife became to great and it snapped in two, pieces of the weapon flying up toward Nicole. She staggered backward, reflexively covering her face. She was back at the well side in a second, screaming down into the portion of blue-white water that was still visible, hoping to see that supple, shadowy form moving toward her. 

“Waverly, Waverly!” 

Waverly was nearly there. But before she could breach the surface, the lid finished closing. The grinding noise ceased. She was left in the dark, with trace amounts of oxygen, and no way out. 

“No! Waverly!” She could hear Nicole’s dire yells and fists banging on the stone lid above her. 

Waverly remained calm. She scanned the lid for any sort of groove or release that would free her again. Then, suddenly but at the same time, slowly, a glowing green outline began to materialize on the stone lid. Waverly squinted as the ghoulish green lines eventually joined each other and revealed its design. It was a lizard. A side profile of a giant chameleon. Waverly noted the unique casque, the two-toed feet, and...the deep crater for an eye. The key! The excitement doubled with her dying oxygen made her dizzy. Her clumsy fingers fumbled in her belt for the stone key. She had difficulty maintaining a hold on it as she brought it in front of her. Twice, she dropped it and had to lurch forward to capture it again. Luckily, she did and using the last of her consciousness she stuck it into the eye of the chameleon. 

Then, she blacked out. 

When she came to, someone was pushing on her chest. In a sudden fit, she began coughing up half-digested water. Her waterlogged lungs were thankful and her whole body grew warm and vibrant again. Opening her eyes, she saw Nicole hovering above her. The doctor’s eyes were red and puffy as if she had been crying. Waverly put a weak hand on Nicole’s face in an effort to comfort her. They locked eyes. 

“I thought I had lost you.” Nicole leaned into Waverly’s hand and turned to kissed it. 

Waverly smiled. “ You saved me. I’m here.” 

Nicole kept her lips on Waverly’s fingers and stared into her shining eyes. 

“But where are we?” Waverly asked as she noticed that the air was getting chilly. 

“I’m not sure. Some kind of underground cave I think. It’s weird though, all the braziers are lit.” Nicole answered. 

The cave jumped with light from flickering urns of fire that seemed to litter every corner of the place. 

“Yeah. I noticed that too.” Waverly slowly got to her feet, Nicole providing a helping hand. 

“Who would have lit these? Afuna?” Nicole said. 

“I mean, she’s the only one of the island that could have done it.” Waverly replied. 

“But why?” Nicole asked. 

“I have no idea. Maybe she knew we would end up here?” Waverly proposed then thought a second, “How did we end up here?” 

“I think through there.” Nicole pointed in front of them, a gaping square hole stared at them from a wall of rock. 

“Hmm.” Waverly studied the opening from her sitting position. “After I put the stone in the chameleon’s eye, that passageway must have opened.” 

“Chameleon’s eye?” Nicole asked. 

“Oh yeah.” Waverly pulled the gray disc from her belt. “I managed to save it before I blacked out. This stone key fit into some strange glowing outline on the bottom of the well lid.” 

“It must have also caused the lid to reopen.” Nicole put the pieces together. 

“Is that how you got down here? You followed me down the well.” Waverly’s heart fluttered. 

“Of course.” Nicole said sincerely. “I had to get to you. Once I was in the water, a strong force pulled me down and through an opening, and then spit me out here. We lost all our stuff. Tents, food, clothes, your boots.” 

Waverly looked down at her bare feet. Then she neared Nicole, clutching the doctor’s shirt. 

“I’m just glad we didn’t lose each other.” Waverly looked up into Haught’s eyes. 

“Me too.” Nicole said, intoxicated by the way Waverly was looking at her. 

They shared a long, slow, passionate kiss. 

“Let’s get out of this lava tube.” Waverly grinned. 

They followed the braziers away from the well passage. It wasn’t long before they could see natural light pouring in from up ahead. 

“The way out!” Nicole exclaimed. 

Close to the exit, where calls of birds and sound of wind beckoned them, they came across a large, crumbling, roughly hewn komodo statue. The stone lizard's mouth was agape, showing off several rows of rocky teeth. A red, crackly layer of dust caked the statue’s mouth and seemed to run down its neck.

“Red ochre?” Nicole guessed.

“ No.” Waverly said, rubbing the substance between her fingers and studying it a moment. “Blood.” 

A pile of bones sat behind the statue. 

“Ugh. Waverly, look at this.” Nicole said, indicating the pile. 

Waverly knelt and examined the bones without touching them. “Some of these are human.” 

“I’ve had enough of this temple. Let’s get out of here.” Nicole said and they rushed toward the sun-lit exit.


	13. Oasis

The smell of fire and the sound of hectic splashing awoke Waverly from her fitful nap. She got up from her sleeping place, a leafy spot tucked between two large and mossy roots of a tree, and stretched. There was a severe tightness in her neck and she winced as she tried to relieve the knots with some slow head rolls. She listened to the cartilage in her neck pop and crackle while her mind wandered through the strange pieces of dreams she had had. Something about snakes? 

A loud, full-bodied splash brought her back to reality. She walked by the freshly forged fire Nicole must have created this morning and through a thicket of jungle vegetation. Kicking away a vine that had caught her by the ankle, she stepped onto the bank of a wide and shallow stream. In its center, Nicole stood, soaked and panting with a sharpened stick in one hand. Her yellow Baylor tee stuck to her like glue, outlining back muscles and showcasing multiple abs. A sharp but soft buzz of electricity dashed through Waverly, making her feel all tingly. 

Nicole looked primal: like a lioness on the hunt. Her vibrant and alert eyes watched the small movements in the water. Every muscle appeared poised and brimming with potential. The spear she held above her head looked frozen in place. Even her ginger mane seemed to bristle with a fierce, savage energy. Patiently, Haught waited, not moving a muscle; Waverly wondered if the doctor was even breathing. The large fish she was after began to fin in the shallows right against her legs. Nicole didn’t dare to flinch. She seemed to be waiting for the perfect moment, the ideal time to strike…

Then, suddenly, she lunged. The whole moment seemed to carry itself out in slow motion. Like when a cheetah tackles a gazelle on one of those wildlife documentaries. Nicole’s arm muscles flexed and twitched, propelling the small javelin forward, keeping it’s trajectory even and steady. A powerful leg stepped forward in tandem with the arm, the barefoot escaping the surface of the stream and gliding forward a couple feet or so before plunging back down below. The spear left Nicole’s hand. Acute concentration dominated every feature of the doctor’s face and her eyes shone with ferocity and hope as she watched the wooden weapon take flight. The spear tagged its mark and suddenly time seemed to snap back into its proper pace. 

“Yes!” Nicole exclaimed and rushed forward to claim her prize. 

She lifted the stick from the water and found a perfectly speared fish at its pointy end. It had been a clean kill, with the spear striking clear through the animal’s brain, instantly killing it and limiting its pain and suffering. Nicole stood and admired the green-gray carp, silently thanking it for providing them with food. 

“Bravo Dr. Haught!” Waverly applauded. 

Nicole hadn’t seen Waverly standing there and was pleasantly surprised. “Why, thank you. Thank you.” 

“Where did you learn to fish like that?” Waverly asked as an exhausted Nicole trudged toward her, fish and spear in tow. 

“Nowhere, really. I’ve watched a lot of herons though on my weekend hikes through swamp gardens down in Texas. ” Nicole chuckled. 

Waverly laughed too. “Oh really?” 

“Yeah. The key is to stand completely still until the fish become accustomed to you and mistake your legs for reeds.” 

Nicole stepped up to Waverly who, up on the bank, had a good foot and a half of height on the doctor. 

“Is looking super hot while doing it part of the method too?” Waverly asked and tugged at Nicole’s wet shirt. 

“Maybe. I’ll be sure to ask my heron sensei the next time I see him.” She grinned and gave Waverly a slow kiss on the mouth. 

Waverly pulled away and thought of the fish. “I’m glad you killed it so cleanly. Poor fish. He will be delicious though.” 

“Yeah. I feel bad too but it’s our only option.” Nicole said. 

“Well, I’m starving. Thanks for making the fire. Let’s go cook it up.” Waverly took Nicole by the hand and helped her up the bank and then led her back to camp. 

Nicole jammed the butt of the spear down into the rough soil near the fire so that the upper portion of the stick and the entire fish leaned over the fire. 

“How did you sleep?” Nicole asked. Waverly had sat down cross legged near the fire and began her head rolls again. 

“ Alright. I had alot of dreams that didn’t make any sense and I think that tree root caused me to sleep funny. My neck is killing me.” She squeezed her neck with her hand as best she could. 

“Here, let me help.” Nicole said, and jogged over to her. 

She immediately took a seat behind Waverly and began working her neck with warm, strong hands. Sparks flittered throughout Waverly’s body. It felt incredible. 

“You probably strained your scalene muscles curled up in that tree.” Nicole said. She palpated the knots, doing her best to smooth them out. Electricity buzzed through her too. Waverly’s skin was satin soft and felt marvelous beneath her hands. 

“That feels really good.” Waverly said. 

“Good. I think I’m getting the knots out.” Nicole said. 

“Come here.” Waverly commanded and interrupted the massage by turning and pouncing on Nicole. Now she was the lioness. 

They made love until the smell of burning fish caused them to spring from their place on the grassy floor and save their meal from the unforgiving flame.

“Shit.” Nicole said, carefully picking at the charred scales. “I think the meat is still okay though.”

Eating a fish off a hot wooden stick was a task in and of itself and they did it meticulously with a few giggles here and there. 

Afterwards they laid out in the grass, full and happy. Overhead, the tree branches intertwined to form a lush ceiling and small amounts of morning light filtered in. They had found this place shortly after leaving the lava tube. The only way Waverly could describe it was a forested plateau. Somehow, the lava had left this place untouched. Climbing a ridge of black rock they found themselves several feet above the dried lava field and among a vibrant forest of vegetation. This place was like an oasis in a desert; a green beacon in a sea of black. 

“You know,” Nicole said smiling up at the treetops. “Sometimes I really like this place. Like right now. But other times, like back in the temple of Kanai, I hate it.” 

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Waverly thought of her near-drowning experience. “ we’ve definitely had some bad times, but we’ve definitely had some good times too.” She smiled at Nicole. She was thinking of that time in the bioluminescent lagoon. 

“Yeah.” Nicole smiled back. She was thinking of that time too. 

“ Who would have ever guessed this would have ever happened.” Nicole said. 

“I know.” Waverly said in partial disbelief.

They grew quiet and sad as they relived the memories of crash and the loss of their crew.

After a few moments of silence, Waverly reached her hand over and grabbed Nicole’s. Nicole grabbed back and they fell asleep in their tiny forest under the rising sun. 

They were reluctant to move onwards. They had no food, no gear… Waverly didn’t even have shoes. So they decided to stay put in the oasis instead of moving onward to the volcano, where they suspected the last disc to be. 

“Hopefully, Afuna has found the last disc.” Nicole said , sharpening her spear with a rock she has found. 

“That would be great.” Waverly said, adding fuel to the fire she had just started. 

They had slept most of the day and now evening was setting in and they were eagerly awaiting the goddess of life’s return. Nicole had caught a couple more fish and found a banana tree hidden on the other side of the stream so their bellies were full. Finished with the fire, Waverly sat down and stared into it. 

“What are you thinking about?” Nicole asked, leaning her spear against a tree and joining Waverly at the fire. 

“Oh, nothing really. Just trying to work out this whole curse thing in my head.” She responded. 

Nicole sighed. “I know. It all feels very unreal to me.” 

“It is very unreal. I mean, we met a goddess. A living, breathing goddess.” Waverly’s eyes reflected the firelight as she turned to look at Nicole. 

“I know it’s crazy.” Nicole responded. “Everything just seems so much bigger than us here.” 

“Yeah.” Waverly said. “I’m afraid things may be getting too big for us here.” She ripped the leaf she was playing with and threw it into the fire.

Nicole put a hand on Waverly’s back and gently caressed it. “Well, we have each other and we won’t let whatever is happening on this island take us down without a fight.” 

Waverly smiled at her; she was glad Nicole was there. Nicole beamed back, she was glad she was there too.

They talked throughout the night, trying to stay awake until Afuna arrived. The sun had set and the moon ought to have been rising, and the goddess should have been there by now. 

“Maybe something happened.” Waverly said. 

“What though? She’s a goddess.” Nicole replied. 

“Technically she’s a demi-goddess. Immortal but not invincible.” Waverly said, anxious eyes reflecting the campfire flames. 

“I’m sure she’s okay. She’s probably trying to find us. We are quite aways away from when she left us.” 

“True.” Waverly said. 

She laid back against Nicole and sighed. 

“I slept most of the day but I still feel tired.” Waverly said. 

“It’s stress. Those stones are anxiety inducing.” Nicole said, stroking Waverly’s hair. “Where is that thing anyways.” 

“Right here.” Waverly pulled it out from the crook in the tree and held it up. 

The firelight jumped through the quartz veins, causing them to flicker with a glittering light. 

“So mesmerizing.” Nicole said, slightly entranced by the dazzling stone. 

“It’s some kind of granite hybrid. Weird. But the others were strange combinations too.” Waverly said, thoughtfully considering the stone in the dim light. 

“That’s because they’re mystical.” Nicole said with a wry smile. 

“Thank you for that astute contribution, Dr. Haught.” Waverly laughed. 

Nicole tickled her and they both giggled for a minute. 

“You know, there were no lizards in Kanai’s temple. Usually when we find one of these things, there’s always lizards running around.” 

“Yeah. You’re right.” Waverly said. “That’s strange.” 

They noticed that the moon was now directly above the treetops, it’s silvery light filtering down on their heads. 

“It must be a full moon, or close to it.” Waverly said, trying to piece together the glowing globe through the swaying trees leaves. “I would have thought Afuna would be here by now.” 

“Yeah, me too.” Nicole, sounding a little concerned. 

“Well, we will keeping waiting.” She sighed and sat back on her hands. 

Waverly laid with her head in Nicole’s lap. Nicole began stroking her hair again. Overly comfortable, Waverly drifted off to a peaceful sleep. Nicole followed soon after but was awakened by the sound of distant thunder. A light sprinkle of rain began to fall. Nicole gently scooted herself and Waverly further under the large, rooty tree near the fire. Waverly hardly stirred and Nicole fell asleep instantaneously. 

Sometime later, Nicole awoke again. It was pouring rain but the two of them remained completely dry thanks to the large, strong leaves of their thick-barked tree. It wasn’t rain that she heard though...it was something else. She swore she had heard something rummaging in the forest across from the fire. Nicole squinted, a combination of sleepiness, rain, and darkness clouding her vision. The fire was out; extinguished by the downpour. Nicole couldn’t see anything. Had it been a dream? The sound of snapping branches and crunching leaves signified that something large was moving through the woods towards them, answering Nicole’s question. It was no dream. 

Nicole swiftly but carefully freed herself of Waverly, laying the beautiful woman down on the mossy ground and making sure she was still out of the rain. Waverly whimpered quietly and then rolled over and was silent. 

Nicole tip-toed a few paces away from the tree and grabbed her spear. Then she stepped forward into the rain to face whatever was moving toward them. 

The breaking and thrashing of vegetation was growing louder. Nicole was completely blinded by the darkness. Her heart thumped fast and hard inside her chest. She was already soaked and growing cold. She wiped water out of the eyes and slicked back her hair. She was hoping it was just Afuna returning from her journey but she was unsure. Suddenly, the loud rummaging stopped. No more branches broke, no more leaves crunched, no more twigs snapped. All Nicole could hear was the rain. 

Crouched slightly in a defensive position, spear out in front of her, she whispered softly out into the night. “Afuna, is that you?” 

There was no answer. No sounds expect the rain continuing to fall. Then suddenly, two glowing, cat level, blue eyes appeared. 

Nicole saw them but remained still. “Afuna.” Nicole whispered. They were the eyes Nicole had seen before but this time they seemed distant, foreign. Something about them didn’t see, right. 

Nicole didn’t leave her defensive stance as the pair of glowing orbs moved closer. 

“Afuna. It’s me. Nicole Haught.” Nicole whispered again. 

A low, unfriendly growl emitted from the darkness. The eyes floated even closer. 

Nicole could feel hot, jaguar breath on her skin. There was another growl and then the eyes got lower to the ground, as if the owner of them was going to pounce. 

“Afuna.” Nicole said, a tremor now present in her voice. “Afuna it's me. It’s Nicole Haught.” She repeated. 

Saying her name gave her strength and she rose the spear and gripped it with strong and determined hands. With a roar the eyes flew forward.

“Afuna!” Nicole yelled. A heavy, furry body crashed into the doctor, breaking her spear and knocking her backwards onto the ground. In a rush of fur, the beast ran over the fallen doctor and barreled through the trees behind. Nicole jumped to her feet as a clamor of frightening noises rang through the air. Hissing, roaring, and high pitched screeching filled the air around them. Heavy splashing told Nicole that the cat was in the stream. 

Waverly woke up with a start. “What the-”

Nicole rushed to her and grabbed her in the dark. Waverly screamed but calmed when she realized it was just Nicole. 

“Stay here.” Nicole said and held her close. 

The quarrel in the stream raged on. Neither woman could tell who was winning or what the strange, angry cat was fighting. The two women sat tightly gripped in one another’s arms, looking out toward the stream but unable to see anything. After what felt like hours, the splashing and the terrible animal noises ceased. Waverly and Nicole sat wide-eyed and waited. 

Then, they could hear the sound of someone walking through the water. A two-footed being. The footsteps got closer and then it grew quiet again. Whoever it was must have climbed up the stream bank. Waverly and Nicole sat still, expecting this mysterious being to come through the vegetation any second. 

Suddenly, there was a grunting yell as something came crashing through the trees and came to rest many feet in front of the explorers. Before Nicole had a chance to move, a howling bright flame relit the campfire and the royal Afuna emerged from the trees. She was exhausted and bloodied, and beaten. And the upper portion of Nicole’s spear stuck out from her side. 

“Oh my god!” Nicole said and rushed forward to catch Afuna as the goddess fell to her knees in pain. 

Afuna struggled to speak but she pointed toward the fire. A hulking mass lay near it. 

Waverly slowly approached the fire. When she approached the thing Afuna was pointing to, she gasped. 

In the glowing light of the fire lay a large, dead, bloodied komodo dragon.


End file.
